Uganda Offers Free Electric Motorcycles To Owners Of Gas-Powered Bikes

Uganda is making a considerable effort to stamp out the use of gas-guzzling vehicles by offering every citizen who owns an internal combustion engine (ICE) bike an electric one instead.
 

In his announcement during his year-end address to the country, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni stated that citizens could trade in their ICE vehicles for electric ones. If that sounds like an enormous sum for the government to dedicate to keeping the roads green, it turns out that the program is being funded by investors.
 
The electric vehicles are made domestically in Uganda and would have fetched up to five million Ugandan Shillings (US$1,350).

Motorcycles are often seen around the country in the form of boda-bodas, a form of taxi popular in Africa. As the sustainable versions will be  built for urban commutes, they will only have a range of 43 miles on a single charge. With this, an extensive network of charging stations is required to get people around the country.

The investors will then be licensed to operate charging and battery swap stations to pacify their investment. 
 
The president estimated that this move would save motorcycle operators 50%. According to Electrek, Ugandan Science and Technology minister Dr Monica Musenero forecasts that it’s 60% cheaper to manufacture bikes that don’t use fuel.
 
Ultimately, the government hopes to stretch the program to incentivize people to change their cars, buses, and vans into electric versions.
 
 
 
[via Electrek and Region Week, Photo 182967706 © Emretopdemir | Dreamstime.com]