Over 60 pct of Nigerian two-wheelers could be electric by 2040

Transcript

00:00In his Lagos shop, bike seller Ebenezer Ebay stocks both petrol and electric motorcycles.

00:14He says demand for EV bikes is growing, but many customers still choose petrol.

00:20Their choice, he says, is guided by fears of battery failure and limited service points

00:26for the EV motorcycles.

00:29Like somebody that buys from us now, not up to three months, they have started complaining

00:34about battery.

00:35So, and where to get the battery, that is the problem.

00:40They say that the battery is very expensive.

00:44Despite these concerns, electric motorcycles are slowly making inroads in Nigeria.

00:50A new report by the country's Energy Transition Office and non-profit RMI projects that more

00:57than 60% of two-wheelers sold in Nigeria could be electric by 2040.

01:04That could help the country avoid up to two million tons of carbon emissions and boost local

01:10manufacturing.

01:12If the company can work on the battery, the battery capacity, I think they are good to

01:17go.

01:18If they can make the battery to last for rider, for a hood, no matter how far the rider go.

01:25Experts say the government must take steps to make that future possible.

01:30From tax exemptions and import duty waivers to plans for purchase subsidies.

01:36They propose rewarding EV users through incentives like free parking and reduced registration fees.

01:44But one major hurdle remains access to charging infrastructure.

01:49In a country where electricity is still unreliable, improving the grid and encouraging private investments

01:55in charging stations will be key to sustaining the shift to electric mobility.

02:00We actually need to increase that awareness and interest of Nigerians to start using EV and for

02:09the government to set up, to build EV infrastructures that will encourage the utilization of EV.

02:15I think it's a good policy that the government can adopt for economic growth and for Nigerians

02:22to meet up to their numerous climate commitments, the NDC 3.0, the decarbonization effort and low

02:31carbon emissions.

02:32Those are some of the conditions that will actually encourage the utilization of EV and increasing

02:40the economic benefit from mobile transportation.

02:43The push for electric motorcycles could redefine mobility in Nigeria, cutting emissions, creating

02:50jobs and reducing fuel dependency.

02:54But without stable power and affordable batteries, this transition may remain a distant goal.

03:00For now, both electric and petrol bikes will continue to share Nigeria's busy roads.