It’s always sunny in Uganda — well, probably sunnier than it is in Philadelphia, anyway. That’s one reason why the future looks bright for East Africa’s first solar-powered electric bus.
The Kayoola bus, created by Ugandan engineers at Kiira Motors Corporation, sports solar panels on its roof to capture the powerful rays that beam down on the equatorial nation. Quartz reports that the 35-seater can travel up to 80 km (50 mi) on two rechargeable batteries that run off the solar panels.
Due to this restricted travel range, the bus is intended for inner-city use rather than inter-city travel. Kiira is hoping that the Kayoola can assist in Uganda’s public transportation problem, according to a local news source.
A prototype of the bus took its first test drive on Jan. 31, and the official launch is set for Feb. 16. Watch a short clip of it in motion above.
By 2018, Kiira hopes to employ up to 7,000 people involved with the production of the Kayoola, BBC reports. It looks like the wheels are being set in motion for cleaner transit in Uganda. And maybe it’s time for Wikipedia’s contributors to add an “Africa” category to its pages on electric and solar buses.
