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The expedition is expected to complete its 13,000-kilometre journey in the coming weeks
Mpika, Zambia | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s ambitious Pearl-to-Cape electric expedition reached a major milestone after the locally manufactured Kayoola E-Coach traversed 11,277 kilometres of its planned 13,000-kilometre round trip, delivering early evidence on cost efficiency, emissions reduction, and the feasibility of long-haul electric transport in Africa.
The journey, which began in Kampala on November 20, is testing the operational limits of electric buses across East and Southern Africa’s challenging road networks. Mpika, Zambia, a key stop along the continent-spanning Great North Road, marks the 81 percent completion point for the expedition.
According to data collected under real-world conditions, the E-Coach consumed 8,988.6 kilowatt-hours of energy while avoiding nearly 5 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with a diesel counterpart. Fuel savings have exceeded Shs 10.9 million, based on regional diesel prices. Engineers say energy consumption remains efficient even amid mountainous terrain, congested cities, high temperatures, and border delays, where stationary operation consumes no traction energy.
The Kayoola E-Coach 13M Model 2025, manufactured by Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) in Jinja, is a commercial vehicle rather than a prototype. The expedition functions as a live validation exercise, providing data for fleet planning, route modeling, and operational strategies tailored to African conditions.
“On December 2, we completed the 431-kilometre Francistown–Gaborone stretch on a single charge,” said KMC CEO Paul Isaac Musasizi. “Energy consumption fell to 0.70 kWh per kilometre, demonstrating that careful speed management can extend range across long distances.”
The initiative has also highlighted infrastructure and policy gaps. While charging stations were successfully accessed across multiple national grids, border delays underscored the need for streamlined transit procedures to support low-emission mobility. Analysts suggest these findings could guide cross-border transport policies under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.
The expedition is expected to complete its 13,000-kilometre journey in the coming weeks. Kiira Motors and government partners plan to release the full dataset to inform investment, regulatory frameworks, and fleet adoption across public transport, tourism, and logistics sectors.
