First Electric Tesla in Kenya?

Tesla is a very powerful and leading company in terms of manufacturing electric vehicles. In America it is the leading with its CEO putting efforts to see more of the cars dominate the rest of the world.

In Kenya, a video was seen of someone flaunting the model X and many questions came up, everyone wanted to know where the owner will be able to recharge the car. Model X is a powerful EV and it will definitely fit in the Kenyan roads. Some of its features include:

i) Single charge of up to 600km( this is enough to last you a week when you drive around the city) It also has an option where you can charge it with solar.

ii) Autopilot: Autosteer on the streets you'll add 1 million Kenyan shilling

iii) Fast-It accelerates  from 0-100KM/h in 3 seconds

iv) Futuristic design- Both interior and exterior including the falcon wings

v) Space- can seat up to 7 people

vi) Has 17 inch touchscreen display inside

vii) Its an all wheel drive

Let’s talk about what it means to own a Tesla in Kenya. First of all, we have to talk about the price. The car itself costs a little over KES 10 M. Not to mention getting it into the country and a probable 10% tax as noted by @Alom

If you you will manage to import your Tesla in the country the giant question will be where can you service it, baring in mind Tesla has no servicing station or technicians , how will the EV  manage to run on our Kenyan roads?

One person answered the worries of most Kenyans by stating all the  major differences between EVs and combustion cars therefore answering all the questions that emerges of servicing and spare parts . EVs do not need to be serviced frequently due to the nature of it, they do not use oil which need to change the parts of the cars therefore meaning it will take long before you will need to service your car.

It’s imperative to note that the Model X has a wide range meaning it can travel for a while before it runs out of juice. Many are wondering where he will find a charger in a country not fully focused on the ‘electric move’.

But the answer to this question is pretty simple. Charge it at home. Just like Rob, who drives a Nissan leaf does.

The only difference is how much time it will take to charge. “It will charge at home using domestic power, it will take a lot longer than the superchargers in other countries (Up to 11 hours). However, you only charge it 2 to 4 times a month depending on how far you drive each day.”

Thankfully with a single charge, it can travel up to 600KM. Nairobi to Mombasa is only 488 KM.

Tesla’s are not immune to failure. It can be very difficult to get parts for the electric motors or get assistance with software issues even in the countries that have official support. So you have to be very careful when handling your car.

Source: gadget Africa