NAPO Unveils Ghana’s First Electric Car
The Minister responsible for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has unveiled the first 100 percent Electronic Vehicle (EV) in Ghana, the Hyundai Kona Electric; a pure electric powered saloon car with a cutting edge design and all the features of an ultra modern car.
The move forms part of Government’s commitment to promote the usage of renewable energy in the automotive industry and protect the environment by having less vehicular emissions produced by the use of fuel.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh, in unveiling the EV, spoke about the importance of employing renewable energy including environmental friendliness, low carbon dioxide emission, cheaper cost of usage and its cleanliness.
He also stressed the need for the ancillary services that the vehicle depends on, such as enough charging outlets at vantage points and reiterated government’s commitment to extend the advantageous import duty of the cars to correspond with its affordability to enable the average Ghanaian to use it.
Dr. Prempeh expressed confidence that with President Nana Akufo-Addo’s vision as Co-chair of the SDGs, Ghana has a bright future in renewable energy.
The Minister touched on the need for the ancillary services that the vehicle depends on, such as enough charging outlets at vantage points and reiterated government’s commitment to extend the advantageous import duty of the cars to correspond with its affordability to enable the average Ghanaian to use it.
The Hyundai Kona saloon car was donated to the Ministry of Energy to test its performance and offer constructive recommendations ahead of its official introduction to Ghana for commercial purposes.
The donation was done on Wednesday when a delegation jointly led by General Manager of Hyundai Company Ltd, Mr. Ganesh Ghadale and Executive Secretary of Energy Commission, Mr. Oscar Neizer visited the Ministry of Energy for the launch of the electric powered vehicle.
It is important to note that the electronic vehicle form Hyundai is being introduced into Ghana at a period Government has concluded talks with the company to establish one of its assembly plants in the country.
The Hyundai Kona provides up to 484km of driving range plus a suite of advanced connectivity and safety features in line with modern fashion and technology.
With the optional 7.2kw in-home wall charger, a 100 percent recharge takes about 9h 35min. using the supplied In-Cable Control Box and a standard household 240V AC 3-prong outlet requires 28h for a full charge.
