Consumer view: A retiree builds his own EVs

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This week we met Paul Kamanu, a retiree of Kenya’s largest tea company, and he revealed how he gradually built his own solar-electric mobility setup. His first step was buying a plug-in hybrid to reduce petrol use. Realising the savings, he later converted a conventional car into a fully electric E-kombi and installed a solar system large enough to power it.

• Today, Kamanu owns three EVs — two Nissan Leafs and the converted Ecombi — all powered through a 10 kW solar system with 40 kWh battery storage at his home in Kiambu.

• Since 2019, the system has generated savings equivalent to about 1.5 million shillings in electricity costs. “My system has a running meter,” he says. “From 2019 to now, the solar generation is around 50,000 kilowatt-hours, which is roughly 1.5 million shillings if you compare it with Kenya Power rates.”

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