Director-General of National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Dr. Jelani Aliyu has assured that the electric vehicles built in Nigeria meet the extreme climatic conditions of the country.
“Any vehicle that is built in Nigeria, is configured to cope with these extreme environments – terrain, rough roads, extremely high temperatures, extreme dust and other tough climatic conditions.
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“Once an electric vehicle is assembled here in Nigeria, it is done to cope with these extreme conditions. Electric vehicles have smoother configurations, so they are better for the Nigerian and African markets as users do not have to worry so much about maintenance,” he said.
In an interview with nairametrics, an online medium, the NADDC DG posited that electric vehicles are more expensive than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
However, he explained that considering the total cost of ownership, “which is the price you pay during the entire time of owning a product, is much lower in an electric vehicle (EV) than in an ICE vehicle.”
He said, “You pay more initially when buying an EV, but because there are no petrol or diesel charges or maintenance charges, an electric vehicle has an edge over ICE vehicles and can be cheaper to maintain in the long run.
“Just like for ICE cars, electric car prices range from the normally-priced to the exorbitantly-priced. The NADDC is working with electric vehicle companies to provide a wide range of prices for these vehicles.”
Aliyu disclosed that the council is building the capacity of local auto repairer and developing National Occupational Standards (NOS) that will guide the training on electric vehicles.
“Aside from the electric drive itself, some of the components of EVs are similar to ICE vehicles, this helps in developing skills in EV maintenance,” he said.
He disclosed further that the NADDC built charging stations in three locations in Sokoto, Nsukka and Lagos to support users of electric vehicles.
He said it was imperative to transit from the ICE vehicles to EVs in a bid to reduce carbon emissions in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement.
“Carbon emissions from ICE vehicles are contributing to climate change, so electric vehicles will allow Nigeria to meet emission reduction targets faster. The electric vehicle allows young ICT-skilled Nigerians to explore and make the technology even better because it is basically a computer on wheels,” the NADDC boss said.
