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Another Tesla Spotted In Lagos; Is Nigeria Going Electric? (See PHOTOS)
Again, another Tesla has again been spotted on a street in Nigeria. This time, it’s a Model S that was spotted in Lagos.
Tesla cars are a range of cars that are fully powered by electricity. In other words, it does not run on petroleum product. They are manufactured by an American automaker, Tesla, Inc.
Indeed, Teslas and other electric vehicles (EV) are becoming a recurring feature on Nigerian roads. A few weeks ago, a Tesla Model X was spotted in a village in Anambra State.
Recall that in April 2018, the Nigerian Senate rejected a bill sponsored by Senator Ben Murray-Bruce. The bill – The Electric Car Bill – sort to phase out petrol vehicles and introduce electric vehicles by 2035.
The bill was trailed by scorn, scoff and it was ridiculed in several quarters. It was derided principally because – asides from being a nation that benefits from petrol production – Nigeria is still grappling with electric power generation.
With the recent sightings of Electric Cars in Nigeria, perhaps, it appears that Nigerians were too hasty in rejecting the bill.
In 2014, there were a few hundred thousand EVs. There were a few hundred thousands of EVs in 2014.
By 2018, there were already 1.6 million electric vehicles in use. The growth in sales of EVs rode on the back of crumbling cost of lithium-ion batteries, government support for enabling policies, and carmakers’ commitment, etc.
There are already projections that the number of electric vehicles in the world will increase from 1.1 million in 2017 to 11 million units in 2025.
That number is expected to increase to 30 million units “in 2030 as they become cheaper to make than internal combustion engine cars.
In 2040, some 60 million EVs are projected to be sold, equivalent to 55% of the global light-duty vehicle market.
With these figures, it only makes sense that the Nigerian parliaments revisit the Ben Bruce-sponsored bill. But this time around, it should be visited with a robust interrogation of its spirit, merit and wider implications.
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See Also: If Tesla Comes to Nigeria
See photo of the Tesla S recently spotted in Lagos.
Photo Credit: Autogespot (Instagram)
Also See: Buy and sell cars faster on Carmart NG
Olarewaju Ibukun
January 30, 2020 at 16:03
It is something we can’t deny, we shouldn’t because Dangote is building a refinery to stop the importation of electric cars, for private use…the fuel issue is getting out of hand….so those who have the capacity should import.