Peter Schwarzenbauer addressing participants at the event. INSET: The prototype
MANA MOBILITY, a new company based in Accra, is poised to open a hub for the design and manufacturing of affordable electric cars in Ghana.
The company, with its lead investor, Skalo, has already hit the ground running with two stakeholders’ meetings resulting in the design of the MANA MOBILITY prototype.
The car, when finished, will provide an easily accessible, inclusive, safe and reliable e-mobility service for Ghanaians.
At a cocktail event at Impact Hub, Accra, to share the company’s vision, the car prototypes, and its roadmap to the public, Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) MANA MOBILITY, Peter Schwarzenbauer, said the goal is to provide sustainable mobility for Ghanaians.
He said the company worked with top notch engineers and designers in Accra to develop the prototype, with the Design and Technology Institute playing a key role in the localisation strategy.
He said materials for the manufacturing of the cars will be sustainably sourced, explaining that the seat cloth will be made from recycled materials, flooring will consist of bamboo and the dashboard will incorporate recycled plastic.
“In our vehicle, six adults can comfortably be seated with excellent airflow which optimises cooling without typical AC-related costs,” he added.
He further noted that the vehicle will be sold with an internal fixed battery of 30 kWh, which is shop-replaceable to allow for upgrades as technology evolves over the vehicle’s lifetime.
“This internal fixed battery allows the vehicle to have the reach of 200 km and can extend your battery reach by 100 km for a total of 300 km with Swappable Power Cubes,” he stated.
The electric car can be purchased using the multi-modal, of an outright payment or a work and pay basis which will consist of GH¢590 weekly payment for a lease period of five years.
Mr. Schwarzenbauer said the electric car will significantly reduce CO2 emissions, create employment opportunities, and enable price stability.
“We are putting Ghana at the forefront of African e-mobility and sustainability while creating a blueprint for other African countries,” he added.
The Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority, Professor Alex Dodoo, lauded the initiative saying it fits in with the national strategy to increase the use of local raw materials in manufacturing.
“Most of the vehicle assembling we are doing have their parts imported. But these guys are going to have only few imported materials, so basically they are creating a sustainable ecosystem which will boost our local economy,” he said.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri