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Tech & Business

5.5.2022

Sudan: the electric tuk-tuk as a solution to sustainable mobility

The tuk-tuk, the favorite means of transportation in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, is being reinvented thanks to electric and solar energy. Through renewable resources, Mohammed Samir’s factory and his workers offer the opportunity for the country to move forward at the same pace as the rest of the world in terms of sustainable mobility. Let’s take a look at this car with multiple solutions.

There are tens of thousands of tuk-tuks on the capital’s roads. However, the excessive cost of their use, in economic and ecological terms, does not make the car profitable, especially since the rise in the price of gasoline. Gasoline-powered tuk-tuks, especially since they are mostly imported from other continents, have been described as damaging to the environment, health and contributing to noise pollution.

The electric tuk-tuk: 3 remedies in 1

The electric tuk-tuk meets three criteria of sustainable development. First, it fights against poverty, as electricity allows drivers and couriers to recover the profit they had lost due to the increase of fuel prices. The protection of health and the environment are also among the remarkable consequences. As for noise pollution, it is much more discreet thanks to silent engines.

In a few months, Mohammed Samir, a 44-year-old engineer, has already sold some 12 tuk-tuks and a hundred electric three-wheelers, which have the advantage of having a decent autonomy. For a hundred kilometers of autonomy, the tuk tuk requires eight hours of charging, which remains quite profitable compared to the cost of gasoline for the same distance.

 

Solar energy, an asset for Sudan

In addition to electric charging, solar energy is also used. Sudan is one of the hottest countries in the world, so the sun is becoming an asset for sustainable mobility. By covering the roof of the tuk-tuks with solar panels, the car moves forward while feeding off the sun’s rays. This very particular characteristic of Sudan serves the ambitions of the country which seeks to substitute the costs of fossil energy while preserving nature.

As a bonus, decorate your tuk-tuk

In Sudan, the tuk-tuk culture implies the concomitant need for drivers to stand out from the others. While walking in the streets of Khartoum, it is possible to see many tuk-tuks with flashy colors and atypical patterns since customers also choose their driver for the design, the seat and the interior decorations of the cart. Maybe now they will also choose their tuk-tuks on an ecological criterion.

See also

Pharaoh of the Two Lands: a look back at the history of the black

Published on 5 May 2022

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