Grace Ashiru
The Kenyan company Roam, formerly known as Opibus, has recently unveiled an all-electric public transportation vehicle known as the Roam Rapid.
It was developed for the sole purpose of resolving the specific issues that have been plaguing the public transportation system in Nairobi and across Africa.
Roam was started in 2017 and was the first company to develop and make electric cars in its own country.
Its goal is to make reliable and affordable products for the general market in all of Africa.
After successfully raising US$7.5 million in equity funding and grant funding to assist it in scaling its operations, the company introduced the Roam Rapid, the first electric bus in Kenya designed specifically for public transit, at the tail end of last year.
The bus has a capacity for 90 passengers, providing ample space, facilitating the boarding and disembarking of commuters in a short amount of time, and offering both seating and standing areas.
We can transport people in a timely, affordable, and environmentally responsible way thanks to the solution that Roam provides to the Kenyan market. According to Dennis Wakaba, the project coordinator at Roam, the bus is not only designed to improve comfort and save money, but it also places a priority on the welfare of the populace by reducing the amount of noise pollution and eliminating local emissions, thereby improving the air quality in cities all over Africa.
The battery pack in the bus has a capacity of 384 kWh, which provides it with a range of 360 kilometres. In addition, it has DC charging connections, and a full charge can be achieved in fewer than two hours.
Roam Rapid is paving the way for the next generation of public transportation in Africa, and it boasts no exhaust emissions and very little noise pollution.
Because the battery lasts long, bus companies don’t have to worry about charging their vehicles during the day.
