Trends in Frontier Tech: (2) Electric Vehicles
During our last call for applications for frontier technologies pilots we received 12 applications from FCDO staff interested in testing electric mobility solutions. Applicants sought to test solutions in 7 different countries: 5 in India, 3 in West Africa, 2 in Senegal, as well as applications for Mexico and Indonesia.
Applications identified the important role that electric vehicles can play in addressing a range of needs and problems across these different contexts. They cited the role improved mobility can play in improving access to education, healthcare and livelihood opportunities in remote areas. They also cited the ability for electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions — particularly where batteries are charged through renewable energy, and where cycles of reuse, recycling and waste management are embedded within the approach.
The ability for electric vehicles to reduce air pollution was a key theme across applications. Many applicants described the problems of air pollution within their local city environments, where rapid urbanisation, alongside a reliance on fossil fuelled transport had led to significant health issues. Applications highlight a global trend. Research from the University of Chicago has highlighted that air pollution negatively affects the health and life expectancy of billions of people worldwide, and is a greater risk to global health than smoking, alcohol, road injuries and unsafe water and sanitation.
Exploring a range of different use cases
The Frontier Technologies program has previously supported two electric mobility pilots. Between 2018 and 2020 we supported a pilot to test whether electric vehicles could provide a more profitable (and cleaner) alternative for taxi drivers in Rwanda. During this period, the program also supported a pilot in Western Kenya to test whether electric vehicles could be used alongside solar powered mini grids, in order to unlock the wider benefits of mini-grids for local communities. This pilot also explored the potential of taxi drivers (of both two and three-wheel vehicles) as a primary use case.
Both of our previous pilots validated the potential role for electric vehicles as a more profitable and cleaner alternative for taxi drivers in East Africa. In Rwanda, taxi drivers were able to double their take home pay through switching to an electric vehicle and avoiding fuel costs. Through powering their electric vehicles via the grid, the electric vehicles produced 75% lower emissions than petrol.
Ampersand, the electric motorcycle startup that participated in the pilot continues to go from strength to strength. They recently secured a US$9 million loan facility from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to expand operations in Rwanda and Kenya.
Call 6 applications explored a range of additional use cases for electric vehicles. This included proposals to explore the role of electric vehicles in last mile logistics, within cold chains and in waste management.
Applications also looked at different approaches for generating or supplementing electricity used by electric vehicles that hadn’t been explored by our previous pilots. This included ideas for placing solar panels on the roof of vehicles and in currently unutilised public spaces (like pavements). Applications also looked at testing home-charging of electric vehicles, and the potential for car batteries to be charged with supplementary electricity from regenerative braking.
More than one application explored the potential for electric alternatives to diesel powered boats — with applications focussing specifically on small-scale fishers. This included our Call 6 pilot “ELEK TEY”, Electrifying Water Transport for Better Livelihoods. The pilot will test whether electric boats can deliver cleaner and cheaper transport for low-income communities in Senegal.
Targeting a range of challenges facing electric vehicle solutions
Call 6 applications looked to tackle a range of challenges and needs associated with piloting and scaling electric vehicles, including:
- Technical challenges — including ‘‘getting the technology to work’’ and meet the demands of the local context).
- Meeting user needs and incentivising users to switch to electric.
- Financial and economic challenges — including overcoming high-start up costs for electric vehicle solutions, and testing business models that might scale beyond the lifetime of the pilot.
- Ecosystem challenges — including identifying what’s needed from the wider environment to support innovations to work in practice. And testing approaches for delivering more supportive ecosystems.
Many applications sought to explore new challenges that had not been explored by our previous pilots. Applications looked at the suitability of a range of different electric mobility solutions across a range of new contexts. Our Call 6 pilot ‘ELEK TEY’ will investigate technical questions around the type of motor required for electric boats within inland islands in Senegal — including whether swappable, pay as you go solar-batteries can provide enough power, speed and mobility to meet the needs of end users.
Across a range of contexts, Call 6 applicants identified the need for ecosystem support in order for proposed electric mobility solutions to continue to operate beyond the pilot. Applications identified the need to investigate questions around what charging infrastructure, maintenance services and supply chains are needed to sustain electric vehicle solutions in their context in the longer term (as well as questions around ‘how’ these might all be delivered). ‘ELEK-TEY’ will look to understand what’s needed for local mechanics to be able to support electric motors beyond the lifetime of the pilot.
Some applications also outlined the importance of using the pilot to engage with ecosystem change-makers who can support electric vehicle solutions in the longer term. This included stakeholders with the ability to make significant (but patient) investments in solutions and local infrastructure. It also included stakeholders (particularly public sector officials) with the ability to change policies and regulations to better enable and incentivise longer-term electric vehicle uptake.
We hope that you enjoyed reading this post. In our final two posts we will be sharing a couple of regional specific trends from Call 6 applications.
