By Moses Akaigwe

The National Automotive Design and Development Council {NADDC} has constituted a committee on electrical vehicle development plan for Nigeria as part of its sustained efforts towards ensuring that Nigeria joins the rest of the world in driving away from dependence on fossil fuels.

The setting up of the committee NADDC to drive the Electric Vehicle Development Plan for Nigeria {EVDP} has been hailed by industry watchers as the engagement of a higher gear in its quest to deepen the electric vehicle {EV}technology in the domestic automotive industry.

At the EVDP meeting in Abuja recently, the NADDC Director General, Jelani Aliyu, explained that the committee was expected to draw up a comprehensive development plan for vehicle electrification in Nigeria.

The blueprint drawn up by the committee would facilitate the realisation of full-scale local production of multiple brands of electric vehicles in Nigeria, enabling their cost effective ownership to be supported by establishing an effective ecosystem of charging infrastructure.

The NADDC, which is the Federal Government agency, established to formulate policies for and regulate the development of, the auto industry in Nigeria,  disclosed that the committee’s plan would also ensure that strict regulations are enforced to ensure world standards of safety and durability for all electric vehicles produced in the nation.

Members of the committee include EV and renewable energy experts from government and non – governmental bodies, the automotive sector, universities and  polytechnics.

The Director General had earlier at another forum re-stated his council’s commitment to ensuring that the local automotive industry is strengthened with the capacity to produce EVs.

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At the Nigerian Energy Summit II, organised by Germany, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Power, and the European Union, the Director General of the NADDC, had announced his agency’s plan to facilitate  the development of electric vehicle production technology  in the country.

This, Aliyu said, would support the provision of more EVs that are applicable to the Nigerian condition, and would allow the nation meet its target for the Paris Accord and the 2060 net zero commitment, both on reducing harmful gas emissions from vehicles.

He informed the energy summit that the council had started work on an Electric Vehicle Policy, a set of fiscal incentives for both producers and buyers/users of EVs in Nigeria.

He also presented his agency’s strides in developing 100 percent Solar Powered EV Charging Stations, sited at three universities.

Located at the Usmanu Dan Fodio, Sokoto; University of Lagos; and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka {UNN}, the three charging stations are aimed at bringing advanced automotive related technology to the doorsteps of students as an effective technology transfer initiative.

Aliyu’s presentation showcased a video of the first Nigerian-assembled electric vehicle, the Hyundai Kona EV, and also that of the Jet Mover electric delivery van from an indigenous {Nigerian} automotive company, Jet Systems Motors.

One of the highpoints of the summit was a test-drive of the Hyundai Kona EV by some of the excited participants who thumbed up for the assemblers of the car, Hyundai Motors Nigeria Ltd {Stallion Motors Ltd} for its pioneering effort in electric vehicle technology.