The Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, has initiated a move to convert the grounded vehicles of the state-owned transport corporation (Kwara Express) to electrical vehicles (EVs).

The KWASU’s technical team, led by the acting vice chancellor, Prof. Shaykh Luqman Jimoh, announced the plan to convert the vehicles to electric ones during a visit to the premises of the transport corporation in Ilorin, the state capital.

The vice chancellor said that his institution possessed the technical know-how to do the conversion seamlessly, adding that one of the vehicles that conveyed his team to Kwara Express headquarters is an electric vehicle just converted by the University.

The chief executive officer of Kwara Harmony Holdings, owners of Kwara Express, Mrs Mojirola Afolayan, expressed delight over the development and commended the state governor, AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq, for coming to their aid through KWASU.

She said the conversion of the vehicles to electric versions would serve as a tremendous relief for the State-owned Transport Corporation.

The acting general manager of Kwara Express, Engr. Yusuf Abubakar, who conducted the team round the premises, described the governor’s decision as a good step in the right direction.

The director of KWASU Centre for Sustainable Energy, Dr Adesina Lambe, assured that the job will be done as soon as all necessary arrangements were completed between the government and the institution.

The Head of Technical Unit of the centre, Engr. Azeez Akande, disclosed that an electric vehicle doesn’t need fuel, very easy to maintain and saves unnecessary costs unlike a gasoline vehicle that has a lot of components.

He explained that electric vehicle can be fully charged under two hours and it can cover 150-kilometer distance and above on a single charge, pointing out that it doesn’t need to be fully charged before putting it on the road.

He added that electric vehicle can be charged by electric, generator or solar power sources.