Volkswagen launches electric Golf car in Rwanda

Volkswagen has launched electric e-Golf car in Rwanda making Rwanda the first African country where the first Volkswagen Electric vehicle is unveiled.  Volkswagen has launched the product in partnership with Siemens, a German global technology powerhouse to provide the charging infrastructure for the electric cars and test the feasibility of electric mobility in Rwanda.

The pilot phase has kicked off with four e-Golfs and one charging station at the headquarters of Volkswagen plant in Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Kigali for the initial phase.

The e-Golf cars are of the Volkswagen Golf Model and are added into the Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda fleet to provide customized mobility service.

According to the plant’s officials, the plan is to increase the number of the electric cars to 50 units and 15 charging stations, depending on outcomes of the pilot project.

Drivers and technicians who will be operating the electric cars have received specialized training during preparation of the pilot phase.

The colorful launch that took place at Kigali Convention Center Tuesday, October 29, 2019  was graced by Prime Minister, Dr.  Edouard Ngirente.

Others present at the event were Thomas Schafer, the CEO of Volkswagen Group South Africa and responsible for the Sub-Sahara Africa Region,  Sabine Dall’Omo, the CEO of Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa, Government officials,  the private sector and partners among others.

The Moving Rwandan Initiative was established as a result of Volkswagen’s initial investment in Rwanda, which saw the launch of Africa’s first Integrated Mobility Solutions business in June 2018.

The drivers and technicians who will be working with the electric cars have received specialized training.

A fully charged carwill cover maximum of 230 Kilometres. The charging station will be based at Volkswagen headquarters at the Special Economic Zone.

While the Rwandan VW plant currently assembles three models in Kigali, the new electronic models are produced and imported from Germany.

The electric mobility project was developed within Moving Rwanda Initiative, a cooperation between Volkswagen, Siemens, SAP and Inros Lacker and the German International Cooperation (GIZ).  GIZ supported the e-mobility project by bringing together relevant partners from the private and public sector and by advising on the development benefits of the project.

The Moving Rwanda Initiative was established as a result of Volkswagen’s initial investment in Rwanda, which saw the launch of Africa’s first Integrated Mobility Solutions business in June 2018.

Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda offers mobility solutions and services such as ride-hailing and corporate car sharing.  The services are offered on the Move App, an innovative IT mobility solution which was developed by a local IT start-up company, Awesomity Lab.

The services are offered using a fleet of vehicles assembled at Volkswagen Rwanda’s assembly facility in Kigali.  The components of the cars are shipped from various markets like South Africa, the US and Argentina. By end of 2019, Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda will have a fleet of more than 200 vehicles consisting of Polo, Amarok, Teramont and Passat.

The plant has capacity to produce up to 1000 cars annually.

Mover App reported 250 drivers, 30000 registered users and 60,000 downloads.  So far, over 59500 rides have been completed in the ride hailing service since the beginning of 2019.

Speaking at the launch, Thomas Schafer, the CEO of Volkswagen Group South Africa and responsible for the Sub-Sahara Africa Region said that the success of the company’s innovative and pioneering mobility solutions business has shown that Rwanda has the potential to leapfrog the internal combustionengines into electric cars.

“Rwanda has a young progressive population that appreciates individual and modern mobility. Together with our development partner, Siemens, and with the support from the Government of Rwanda, Volkswagen wants to make the e-Golf pilot project in Rwanda a blueprint for electric mobility in Africa,” he said.

Thomas explained that mobility solutions in Rwanda shed the light for business intelligence to expand footprints into more African countries.

“The integrated mobility solutions business in Rwanda is our lighthouse project. In the past year, our operations in Kigali have provided us with valuable lessons and business intelligence which we plan to utilize in our growth strategy into other African markets like Ghana and Ethiopia,” he noted.

Michaella Rugwizangoga, the Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen’s operations in Rwanda said that the plant has grown to promote inclusive jobs where over 20 of more than 220 staff including drivers, coordinators and management are women.

She explained that e-Golf cars are fully electric launched market study.

“After months of studies and workshops; we are here to witness the launch of the first Volkswagen electric vehicle not only in Rwanda but also on the continent,” said Rugwizangoga.

She expressed gratitude to the Government of Rwanda for continuous support providing conducive business environment allowing businesses to choose Rwanda.

According to Sabine Dall’Omo, the CEO of Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa, the partnership with Volkswagen on the project solidifies the commitment not only to Rwanda but also contributing to the East Africa Region.

“By contributing towards shaping the African market for intelligent, adaptive infrastructure while addressing skills challenges in this sector, Siemens is helping to build a more sustainable future for the people of Rwanda,” she said.

As he officially presided over the unveiling of Volkswagen’s e-Golf car in Rwanda, Premier Ngirente congratulated Volkswagen for being the first company to assemble cars in Rwanda and hailed the partnership which led to another milestone in ‘Made in Rwanda’ initiative with the introduction of Volkswagen’s first electric cars on the continent.

He highlighted that the new e-Golf car complements Rwanda’s strategies towards climate resilient low carbon economy and driving technological advances that transform economy as well.

“In our National Strategy for Transformation, Rwanda prioritizes development of a climate resilient low carbon economy. This includes building smart green cities, smart transport facilities and services as well as use of ICT and digital solutions for improved service delivery,” he said.

“E-mobility presents great opportunities to substitute expensive fuel imports with electricity generated in the country. In 2018, fuel products were the largest single import product category into Rwanda, accounting for 12% of all imported goods,” added the Premier.

Ngirente emphasized that Rwandans are becoming increasingly aware that protecting the environment is a top priority and expressed optimism that the introduction of environmentally friendly transport services will accelerate the reduction of air pollution levels.

He commended Volkswagen Business model in Rwanda that promotes services through VW Move and the plan to roll out in other countries on the continent.

“Your ambition to expand invites us to collaborate across policy fields, sectors and industries in order to make a holistic transition to the environment friendly transport on the continent.

Volkswagen Rwanda’s investment is contributing to the creation of jobs especially among youth since operations started in June 2018. This complements Rwanda’s target to create at least 1.5 million decent and productive jobs by 2024. The private sector is central,” he stressed.

“Allow me to once again thank Volkswagen for setting up its e-mobility operations in Rwanda. We reiterate our commitment to ensure a transition towards clean, competitive and connected mobility for Rwandans,” added Premier Ngirente.

He expressed optimism that the pilot project will be successful and lead to the successful adoption of electric vehicles in Rwanda and the continent.

The e-Golf car can charge the battery up to 80% within 45 minutes at a charging station while the duration extends to 10 and 11 hours when charging it at home.