Red Cross buys Hyundai electric cars to cut emissions
Silvanus Wambua, Caetano Kenya Retail and Fleet Sales Manager (left) and Mauro Iacona, ICRC Head of Logistics Support Centre discuss the features of the Hyundai KONA Electric Vehicle, during the handover ceremony of the 5 KONAs purchased by ICRC to reinforce their existing fleet of electric vehicles.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has acquired electric vehicles as Kenya’s shift to clean transport gathers momentum.
The ICRC regional delegation in Kenya has acquired five of Hyundai Motor Group's best-selling electric vehicles (EV), the Kona EV from Caetano Kenya, the official distributor of various automotive brands in Kenya.
ICRC said the new additions will reinforce their existing fleet of electric vehicles at a time there is urgency to cut carbon emissions.
“Our decision to reinforce our vehicles with this purchase of electric cars from Hyundai will help us to optimize our fleet and manage fleet waste in a sustainable manner," said ICRC’s Head of Logistics Support Centre Mauro Iacona.
"The 5 electric cars will add to our existing 3 as we seek to rightsize the fleet with the ‘right car doing the right job’. This is also in line with our principle of ‘do no harm’ to minimize the damage we cause to the environment while providing timely and principled humanitarian service."
Caetano Kenya Retail and Fleet Sales Manager Silvanus Wambua said the auto dealer is backing the Kenyan Government’s plan to have at least 5 percent of all registered vehicles being electric by 2025 in a bid to curb environmental pollution from petroleum fuels.
“Currently the fuel prices in Kenya are at an all-time high, with petrol retailing at Sh179 per litre and diesel at Sh165 per litre, with the possibility of rising further," said Mr Wambua.
"The Hyundai KONA EV runs over 400 kilometers on a single charge and is a great alternative to petrol and diesel cars. The Kenyan market is primed to shift to electric vehicles.”
The ICRC regional delegation which is headquartered in Kenya carries out humanitarian operations and pursues humanitarian diplomacy in Kenya, Tanzania and Djibouti.
The electric mobility industry is taking shape within the country with more than 1,000 electric vehicles on local roads.
Diesel and petrol-powered transport are estimated to account for a quarter of global greenhouse emissions.
Fossil fuel-powered cars, buses and matatus emit a big share of the carbon dioxide in Nairobi daily, according to local environmental experts.
