Solar-powered tricycles revolution in Enugu

An Enugu-based auto-maker and solar-power systems engineer is kicking off a quiet revolution to mass-produce solar-powered tricycles in Enugu.

The engineer, Anthony Obinna Okafor, stired the internet in 2020 with a model solar-electric tricycle surprisingly constructed in 21 days.

Tricycles, aka Kéké

Tricycles are popularly known in Nigeria as Kéké-NAPEP, named after the federal agency that originally mass-imported them from India. They run on fuel and have become the dominant means of transportation in Nigerian cities.

He claimed that the alternative energy powered vehicle could run for 70km on a single charge.

Okafor needed partners and venture capitalist to empower him to go into mass production of the tricycles. He was convinced that his creation will revolutionise and help Nigeria deal with transportation challenges.

Today, it appears he has secured both partnership and venture capital from the United States.

Sustainable Communities Corporation (SCC), an Ohio-based nonprofit is offering Okafor partnership and venture capital to mass produce and sell the solar-powered tricycles in the African market.

The Partnership

The journey to this happy ending started in June 2020 when Okafor announced that he built in 21 days a three-wheel solar plugin hybrid electric passenger vehicle. He also claimed in a social media video that went viral that his vehicle could run about 70 km range on a single charge.

SCC announced the programme which it called the SCC Nigeria.

assist Enugu-based Okafor Motors to mass produce solar electric tricycles.

In Greene’s words:

“(Anthony) said his greatest challenge was obtaining the capital needed for volume production. Persistence is the name of the game and Anthony has succeeded in locating a manufacturing partner from the United States in the form of Ohio-based economic development non-profit called Sustainable Communities Corporation (SCC).

“SCC with Okafor Motors led by Engr Antonio Obinna Okafor will be establishing a new for-profit subsidiary in Nigeria called NrG Company.”

The partnership arrangement will see NrG Co mass-producing the vehicle under the trade name Nikeke.

Making it work

Additionally, SCC will form a leasing company to enable Nigerians easily obtain Okafor Motor’s Nikeke solar-powered vehicles.

SCC connected Okafor with its Wisconsin-based subsidiary called Wisconsin Battery Company (WinBat) to develop new environmentally-friendly battery technology for Nikeke.

Accordingly, Nikeke will run on solar energy batteries produced from SCC’s subsidiary WinBat, a Wisconsin battery manufacturer.

Greene, who is also CEO of WinBat, emphasized that NrG will have the full right to deploy the new battery technology in Africa.

In addition to the energy batteries, NrG will also market regular batteries and related products in the future under the trade name NiBat.

There are other services built into the partnership which in the near term includes battery and plastic recycling,” Greene said.

A dream come true

Okafor said his dream has come true with such multiple opportunities. He plans to now produce both solar-powered tricycles and quadricycles for Nigerian.

He confirmed the plan to
set up NrG Co to mass produce Nikeke to boost Nigeria’s transportation system and lift operators out of poverty.

He told the Vanguard newspaper that he believed in predestination.

“If you would ask me whether I believe in angel investors, my answer is definitely yes. Do I also believe in predestination? Oh yes!

“The reality before me after the prototype development was that my dreams will remain mere dreams. But somehow, I kept the faith against all odds and today my instincts have been proven right.

“Sustainable Communities Corporation located in the United States has proposed a partnership with Okafor Motors… I feel excited I must confess.”

Competitive edge

He also sees the value of SCC going beyond financing to link with WinBat hemp battery technology.

This will ensure that our solar-electric tricycles will become a serious contender with the conventional gasoline tricycles, he said.

“This is definitely a dream come true. Four years since the prototype was developed, we kept the faith, believing this project will get to mass production phase.

“Let me explain to you that it wasn’t an easy ride waiting within the past 4 years. However, we utilized these waiting periods in modifying our designs, testing out various models to determine which of them is best suited for the local market.

“Going forward and based on our research and development within the past four years, we are confident of launching at least two different models of this product. One will be a three- seater-plus driver tricycle. The second will be a 6-seater-plus driver quadracycle.

It’s a Nigerian success story,” Greene concluded.