The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), which serves Africa’s largest city, plans to deploy 12,000 electric buses over the next seven years. The buses will be supplied by Chinese OEM Yutong, and will be assembled locally. Oando Clean Energy Limited (OCEL), a subsidiary of the Nigerian multinational oil company Oando, will provide charging infrastructure.

Yutong’s electric buses are equipped with air conditioning and WiFi. Two pilot vehicles have already been delivered, and OCEL has taken delivery of some charging stations and spare parts. Lagos State is expected to save some $2.6 billion in fuel and maintenance costs.

“This is a watershed moment for Yutong,” said Frank Lee, Managing Director, Yutong West Africa. “It’s our first delivery of electric mass transit buses in Sub-Saharan Africa and the first step in the large-scale deployment of an electric-powered public road transport system in Nigeria.”

“Audacity and innovation have always been key tenets in our journey to transform Nigeria’s energy future,” said OCEL Chairman Adewale Tinubu. “This project underscores the African saying: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.’”

Source: The Nigerian Observer via Sustainable Bus