Could Zimbabwe’s Public Transport Chaos Catalyse The Adoption Of Electric Scooters For Personal Mobility?
Zimbabwe generally has some of the most expensive fuel in the southern African region. Right now, the price of petrol is US$1.64 per litre and diesel is US$1.71 per litre. The average daily commute distance in the large urban centres is around 15 kilometres, as cited in Zimbabwe’s Transport Master Plan. Cheaper forms of transport not dependent on these expensive and sometimes hard to find fossil fuels could provide a viable alternative for some commuters with short commutes.
Unlike in Asia, where a lot of people use scooters for personal mobility, or closer to home in East Africa where motorcycles are used as taxis, the 2-wheeler market for personal mobility does not exist in Zimbabwe. But with such short commutes (on average 15 km), electric scooters could provide an efficient and affordable option for some. The generally low electricity tariffs in Zimbabwe (usually just under 10 USD cents/kWh) mean that the “fuel” cost of electric scooters will be way cheaper than for the average commuter fare on the Mushika-Shikas or Kombis (when they come back).
Assuming these scooters will have a 2kWh battery, one would need just about 20 USD cents to charge them to full for a range of about 40 km depending on the type of scooter.
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