Kiira Motors has completed a high-profile trans-African tour using a battery-electric coach, covering more than 13,000 kilometres across six countries in a bid to demonstrate the feasibility of electric public transport on the continent.
The 39-day journey, known as the Made in Uganda Grand Trans-Africa Electric Expedition, took the electric bus from Uganda to Cape Town and back. The expedition used the Kayoola Electric Coach 13M, an intercity battery-electric bus developed by Kiira Motors and designed to address growing demand for cleaner and more efficient public transport solutions in Africa.
While the company sources many of its key components from China, Kiira Motors said the vehicle itself is engineered in Africa for African operating conditions. During the expedition, mobile charging stations were deployed at certain points because of limited charging infrastructure along the route.
The company said the bus consumed an average of 0.79 kilowatt-hours per kilometre and covered about 390 kilometres per day, reflecting typical daily operating stages rather than the vehicle’s maximum achievable range. Over the full distance, the expedition recorded a single safety-related incident.
“When you travel over 13,000 kilometres across borders, climates and terrain and return with just one incident, you know something worked exceptionally well,” said Elias Bwambale, Kiira Motors Corporation’s head of legal and the project lead for the expedition.
Kiira Motors said the tour generated more than 400 expressions of interest and pre-orders from cities, institutions and transport operators, underlining growing interest in electric buses despite ongoing infrastructure challenges.
Uganda’s Minister for Works and Transport, Edward Katumba Wamala, said the expedition highlighted the continent’s capacity to develop and deploy its own clean transport technologies. “This journey affirms that Africa’s solutions can be designed, built and deployed right here at home,” he said. “Electric mobility is no longer a future concept. It is a present opportunity, and Uganda has shown leadership in turning vision into action.”
Electric buses are increasingly being tested and deployed across Africa as governments and operators seek to reduce emissions and fuel costs. However, the Kiira Motors expedition also underscored the need for wider investment in charging infrastructure to support longer-distance electric transport.