The Delta State government and Jet Systems Automobile Industry Limited have entered into a partnership towards deploying Jet Electric Vehicles (EV) in the state for mass transportation purposes.
The talks also centered on the establishment of solar-powered charging stations on strategic highways within the state to facilitate the charging of EVs when deployed for operations.
This much was revealed by the state governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, when he hosted a team from the company led by its Chairman, Chidi Ajaere, and its chief operating officer (COO), Joseph Osanipin, in Asaba, the state capital.
The governor inspected the EVs and took a test drive in two of them, the Jet Link and the Jet Mover.
He commended the vehicles and noted that they represented a good alternative to fuel combustion engines, especially in the wake of the high cost of fuel in the country.
According to him, a team headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Kingsley Emu, would be put together to understudy the possibility of the state government helping transporters in the state to acquire eco-friendly vehicles for their operations.
“This is the first time I have had the opportunity to drive an electric vehicle and you can see that it is smooth, noiseless, and comfortable, and with the way the price of fuel is going up electric vehicles are better at this time because everybody is trying to move away from fuel to save cost.
“The Electric vehicles are cheaper; the only thing is that we are still studying this model and we are coming out with our own decision very shortly, to know whether to go in that direction, especially with the present hike in petrol price.
On his part, Ajaere said investing in EVs was the way to go considering that the vehicles were eco-friendly, cheaper to manage and do not have the maintenance issues associated with petrol-powered vehicles or those running on compressed natural gas (CNG).
He said future-thinking mobility companies were investing in electric vehicles as the cost of transportation had become so high due to the rising cost of fuel and maintenance.
Source: The Guardian
