Innoson unveils first Made-in-Nigeria electric vehicle

Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company (IVM) has unveiled its first-ever locally produced electric vehicle (EV).

This was disclosed by IVM’s Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Cornel Osigwe, in a post on Facebook.

According to Osigwe, the electric vehicle was manufactured at the company’s production plant in Nnewi, Anambra State.

“I just test-drove the first Innoson electric vehicle produced in Nnewi. We are just starting,” Osigwe said in the post.

In another Facebook post, Osigwe wrote: “For benefit of doubt, the new Innoson Electric Vehicles as well the one I test drove hasn’t been certified and approved by the Innoson Vehicle quality control department for sales.

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“It is still undergoing the final round of checks. More so it hasn’t been officially announced or launched by the company, but I needed to create a buzz before the official announcement and then I did my magic.”

Osigwe, however, did not provide information regarding the price, the number of units produced, or when the electric vehicle will be commercially available.

Other Nigerian electric vehicle companies already in existence are MAX, Jet Motor Company, Savenhart Investment Limited Technology (Siltech), Possible EVs, and Electric Motor Vehicle Company (EMVC).

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), electric vehicles are viewed as a vital technology for reducing carbon emissions in road transport, which accounts for over 15% of global energy-related emissions.

Electric vehicles can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or can be powered autonomously by a battery or by converting fuel to electricity using a generator or fuel cells.

The vehicles include road and rail vehicles, electric boats and underwater vessels, electric aircraft, and electric spacecraft.

Early electric vehicles first came into existence in the late 19th century, when the Second Industrial Revolution brought forth electrification.