Kenya Power is planning to introduce a special tariff for electric car charging stations that will be cheaper than the average domestic consumer.
The tariff plan revealed in the application by Kenya Power to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the sector regulator, will price consumption of between 200 and 15,000-kilowatt hours at Sh17 per kWh, lower than the ordinary domestic tariff proposed at Sh21.68 per unit. The tariff is expected to hold until 2025, providing predictability to investors in e-mobility.
Kenya Power is set to establish an e-mobility network infrastructure system in Nairobi and Nakuru from where it will pilot the charging hubs. The lack of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and motorcycles has been one of the leading impediments to the full adoption of e-mobility, prompting the utility to take the lead in the switch.
The Kenya Power pilot, which began in September, is expected to take six months while a countrywide roll-out of e-mobility infrastructure will take between 18 months and two years.
The company indicated that it would set aside Sh40 million in the year ending June 2023 to purchase three electric vehicles on a pilot basis.