Kenya’s electric vehicles doubled to 5,294 in 2024

The number of electric vehicles (EVs) registered in Kenya in 2024 doubled to 5,294 from the 2,694 registered in 2023, new data shows.

According to the Electric Mobility Association of Kenya (EMAK), motorcycles continue to lead the country’s green mobility adoption, with 4,862 units registered in 2024, followed by three-wheeler vehicles, commonly known as tuk-tuks, at 185.

Some 123 electric cars were registered last year, alongside 87 forklifts and 32 buses.

This brings the total e-motorcycles registered in Kenya to 8,097, three-wheelers to 324, 318 e-cars, 53 buses and 227 forklifts.

EMAK’s President, Hezbon Mose, on Monday said this pushes the fraction of EVs to Kenya’s total registered vehicles to 0.2 per cent.

The association projects that two-wheeler EVs (motorbikes and bicycles) will grow to over 60,000 in 2030, while the number of registered e-buses is forecast to grow to over 2,000 in 2030.

“EV passenger vehicles are forecast to grow to over 7,600 vehicle sales in 2030 and cumulatively have over 30,000 passenger vehicles with high incentives,” Mose told delegates at this year’s E-mobility Conference and Expo organised by Kenya Power, the German development agency GIZ and EMAK.

Kenya’s e-mobility growth has been spurred by factors like the government’s introduction of an e-mobility tariff in the current electricity tariff control period, as well as tax incentives.

But EVs’ upfront costs remain relatively high compared to the used internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle imports common in Kenya, with EV companies citing battery costs as a major contributor to the high costs.

Additionally, there is limited public charging infrastructure, with few charging stations, mostly concentrated in Nairobi.

The government has been rolling out charging stations in select towns and cities to drive up EV uptake.

On Monday, Kenya Power announced it will install some 45 EV chargers across Nairobi, Nyeri, Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru, Mombasa and Taita-Teveta counties.

Additionally, the utility said it is exploring setting up local battery assembly plants in a bid to bring down EV costs further.