According to Star on June 8th, more and more electric vehicle companies in Kenya are turning to cheaper solar solutions to reduce the cost of battery replacement and charging services for users. As the backbone of the electric vehicle business, electricity has become a major pain point for companies - although there are special electricity prices specifically designed for this field, some companies still have electricity costs as high as 30% of their operating expenses. The company stated that with the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, their operating costs continue to soar, especially in the context of two wheeled electric vehicles being widely favored by public transportation operators. The two leading companies in the electric motorcycle industry, Roam and Spiro, now choose to use solar panels to charge their batteries during the day to reduce electricity costs. Kenya Power Company charges a special electricity price of 8 shillings per kilowatt hour to electric vehicle companies during off peak hours (10pm to 6am), while the peak hour rate doubles. Spiro, which operates about 80 battery exchange stations nationwide, revealed that electricity costs account for about 30% of its operating expenses, even exceeding employee salaries, and incorporating solar energy into its energy structure will significantly alleviate this burden.
