29-year-old Darryl Nganou manufactures Cameroon’s first electric vehicle

By Tata Mbunwe

Darryl Nganou, a 29-year-old Cameroonian based in Douala, has tested a new electric vehicle he has built, the first to be made in the country.

He told media sources it took him and his team three years and two months to conceive and realise the project.

The vehicle is a three-wheel car that, unlike most vehicles in Cameroon – which run on fuel, functions on electricity.

It has a battery which, when fully charged, can cover a distance of 100 kilometers before needing a recharge.

Nganou said a conventional car is 10 times more expensive to run when compared to his electric vehicle.

“It took me two years of training, one year of preparation with my team and and extra two months to realised this project. At the manufacturing level, we had professionals of different domains, like the welder and an electrician,” he told Equinoxe television.

The vehicle runs on a 15-kilowatt engine and it is powered by a battery of 10 kilowatts.

“If one kilowatt is 60 francs in Cameroon, 10 kilowatts will cost 600 francs. So 600 francs will cover 100 kilometers compared to a vehicle consuming fuel, which needs 10 liters to cover 100 kilometers and the cost of a liter costs 700 francs. A conventional vehicle will need 7,000 francs to cover same distance,” Darryl Nganou said.

“One can use the same logic in building a vehicle for transporting goods and people. The car will be entirely electric, with additional electric panels on the cabin. The car can be used for a distance of over 100 kilometres.”

The innovation comes at a time the Cameroon Government has been urging youths to be more creative and go for made-in-Cameroon products.

The young man said what is limiting him from expanding his industry is finance.

If supported, he said he manufacture more of such vehicles for use in the country.

Mimi Mefo Info