The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NIIT) Zaria, Kaduna State, said it has launched a research into alternative fuels like biofuel and hydrogen fuel.
The Director-General of NITT, Dr. Bayero Salih-Farah, disclosed this at a facility tour of projects at the institute to mark his one year in office.
He also said NITT has recorded success in converting tricycle (keke) into a hybrid version that works both on electricity and diesel.
Salih-Farah said: “We hope to launch it as soon as work is completed on it.”
He said a team of engineers has been deployed to work on a model of electric vehicle it has designed along with key automobile industry players.
“We acquired 84 hectares of land from the Kaduna State Government to establish the Institute’s Jatropha farm for biofuel production and secured another 40 hectares of land from Sabin Gari LGA in Zaria towards building the Institute’s Drivers Development and Training Centre.”
The newly completed infrastructure includes the e-library, transport data bank centre, blocks of classrooms and offices, a medical facility, welding and fabrication laboratories, automobile painting and spraying, driving school, guest house, and hostels.
The NITT head said he was keen on upgrading and repositioning the institute to become a focal centre in West Africa.
To boost capacity, the institute head said 16 of the staff have been sponsored to study in various areas of transport and logistics.