Auto Pax Air Yetu, the electric vehicle president William Ruto drove himself in on Monday during the Africa Climate Summit, consumes Sh2 per kilometre and takes Sh740 for a full charge.
This is according to Dr. Isaac Kalua, the founder of Green Africa Foundation, the parent company of the manufacturer Auto Pax Air Yetu.
Speaking on Citizen TV’s JK LIVE, Kalua said the Head of States used only Sh10 for a single trip from State House, Nairobi, to the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
Meanwhile, a motorist driving from Nairobi to Thika, an average of 45 kilometres, would use Sh90, while from Nairobi to Kisumu, it consumes Sh708.
Emphasizing their cost effectiveness, Kalua noted that the firm has received 314 orders in two days since Ruto used the vehicle in the past three days.
The tiny three-door electric hatchback costs an average of Ksh1.7 million. The Air Yetu is the product of a partnership between Kenyan EV company Autopax and the Chinese automobile company SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW).
Autopax Air Yetu: Inside bright yellow Sh. 1.7 million electric vehicle driven by Ruto
The car is manufactured in Liuzhou, China, and assembled in Nairobi. It comes in two trim levels: the standard range Autopax Air Yetu, which covers 200 kilometres on a full charge, and the long-range Autopax Air Yetu Pro, which covers 300 kilometres when fully charged.
It has a four-seat capacity, a rear parking sensor and camera, radio, USB connectivity, Bluetooth, and two airbags.
The standard range car’s 17.3 KWh battery takes eight and a half hours to be fully charged, while for the long-range version, its 26.7 KWh battery takes four hours to charge fully.
The vehicle comes equipped with a synthetic interior, as well as features like remote door lock & window control, along with geofencing alarms.
The EVs do not require much maintenance and servicing, owing to the fewer moving parts in the electric motors.
“If you drive an Autopax EV, you will spend 40% of what you would spend on petrol. In other words, if you would have spent Sh. 100 on fuel, you would now spend a maximum of Sh. 40,” the company wrote on its website.