IHS, the largest telecommunications infrastructure provider in the country, has acquired a fleet of 11 Mitsubishi Outlander Electric vehicles and an ABB Fast Charger from Greenleaf AutoFast Rwanda Ltd, Rwanda's leading dealer in electric vehicles. This acquisition makes IHS the first corporate company to have a fleet of electric vehicles thereby demonstrating their commitment to eco-friendly transport and fulfilling one of the company pillars to be conscious of the environment.

The electric vehicles and the public fast charger were handed over at a colourful ceremony at the M&M Plaza which was attended by many dignitaries including the Ambassador of Japan to Rwanda, H.E Imai Masahiro.

Ms. Judith Muhongerwa, the Board Chairperson of Greenleaf AutoFast Rwanda Ltd, congratulated IHS for playing a pivotal role in reducing carbon emissions by embracing electric vehicles. She said the move aligns with the country's vision of conserving the environment and accelerating the uptake of electric cars. "The global motor industry is rapidly evolving, and Rwanda is at the forefront of going green and adopting new technologies and innovations in Africa such as electric vehicle technology.”

"Rwandan government policy and incentives is accelerating electric vehicle uptake. Given the visionary leadership of Rwanda as well as Rwanda’s climate change mitigation goals, vision 2050, we see this technology of electric vehicles and home solar-powered charging systems as an idea whose time has come for Rwanda and soon for the rest of Africa,” she noted.

The Managing Director of IHS Rwanda, Amida Azeez, said that they are committed to joining Rwanda’s efforts in mitigating climate change by promoting electric vehicles to reduce emissions. "IHS is committed to the green initiative,” he said.

Okechukwu Daniel Ogbonnaya, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Country Representative commended adoption of electric vehicles that is in line with Rwanda’s green growth strategy and e-mobility policy.

"We recently held an e-mobility showcase and Greenleaf AutoFast was one of the participants. We thank them and I.H.S for actively joining the government drive to transition to green transport. This is what we ask private sector to do," he said.

H.E. Imai Masahiro, the Ambassador of Japan to Rwanda lauded the efforts by IHS and Greenleaf AutoFast to promote green transport.

"Greenhouse emissions from transportation accounted for almost 28 percent of all total emissions. As Rwanda seeks to reduce unhealthy emissions, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Greenleaf Autofast contributions are timely. The existing bilateral relations between Japan and government of Rwanda continue to bear much fruit." he said.

H.E. Imai Masahiro added that Japan will continue its collaboration in promoting resource-efficient and eco-friendly solutions in transport and other sectors. His Excellency the Ambassador further thanked IHS Rwanda for being a trailblazer in the advancement of green transport.

Study after study has demonstrated that using Electric Vehicles contributes a great deal in ensuring cleaner air through the reduction of carbon emissions that would otherwise be emitted through fossil/carbon fuels. This shift to clean energy carries with it numerous environmental and economic benefits. The new incentives, once passed, will only serve to amplify these economic benefits what with preferential tariffs and tax exemptions to mention but a few.

While these PHEV electric vehicles have been well received in Rwanda, one of the hindrances to their faster adoption has been range anxiety and limited charging infrastructure. The current PHEV Outlander Mitsubishi delivers a driving range of 60-70 km in full EV mode and over 450 km on both full battery power and full Fuel Tank (depending on terrain and driver habits).

In a bid to address range anxiety and the 'inconvenience' of charging PHEV Mitsubishi Outlander Electric vehicles and any other Electric vehicle in Rwanda, Greenleaf Autofast Rwanda Ltd, have partnered with Vivo Energy Rwanda (the company that markets and distributes Engen-branded fuels in Rwanda), to install ABB Multi-Standard Fast Charging Points at select Vivo Stations Countywide. Greenleaf Autofast Rwanda Limited also confirmed that they have currently installed more than 20 domestic Chargers in office premise and at residential premises of their customers who have acquired the Mitsubishi PHEV Outlanders.

The Mitsubishi PHEV electric vehicle can be fully charged between 15 and 25 minutes using the fast charger (supplied by ABB) and is capable of "self-charging” on the go and the domestic Chargers take 2-3 hrs Charging a PHEV from empty to full charge. This makes it the most practical electric vehicle in Rwanda.