Kigali, 23 December 2019: Honorable Minister of Infrastructure, Amb. Claver Gatete officiated on Friday officiated the launch of the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Outlander Mitsubishi Model 2019.

Other officials included The President of Mitsubishi Motors Middle East and Africa;  Mr. Takahashi Masahiko, Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Development Board, Clare Akamanzi, The Deputy Japanese Ambassador to Rwanda; Ms Yuko Hotta, The British High Commissioner to Rwanda, Her Excellency Jo Lomas among others. In his remarks, Hon. Minister expressed eagerness about the introduction of electric vehicles in Rwanda which will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the country. He said “Mitsubishi Corporation has registered steady growth since inception in Rwanda and the growing preference for Japanese vehicles is a good sign that the trade relationship between Rwanda and Japan is excellent” adding that  the company meets Government of Rwanda’s strategy to promote Electric transport as a green mobility option and a viable solution to reduce air pollution.

Recent studies have shown that electric mobility brings about a number of advantages as well as low maintenance cost, reducing environmental impact related to climate change, reducing dependency of fossil products (oil imports), decreasing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, reducing importation on oil products, cost savings on oil importation and increasing electricity consumption..

As Rwanda seeks to reduce GHG emissions, produce cleaner air and greener cities, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Victoria Motors Rwanda Limited (VRML) are committed to making their contribution towards Rwanda’s Environmental Conservation efforts through promoting technologically inspired transportation in the domestic auto market.

“Given Rwanda’s visionary leadership under President Paul Kagame and Rwanda’s climate change goals in line with Rwanda’s Vision 2050, Ms. Judith Muhongerwa, Board Chairperson, VMRL consider this Electric Vehicle technology as “an idea whose time has come” for Rwanda and soon for the rest of Africa”. She said “Our Group’s driving purpose is to “make a difference in life”.

The introduction of this PHEV will enable us and our valued customers to make a tangible footprint towards a greener and healthier Rwanda. The Outlander PHEV is currently the world’s best-selling PHEV and was voted 2019’s Green SUV of the year by the Green Car Journal. Adding this versatile electric vehicle to our exciting model line-up heralds Rwanda’s move towards fully electric transportation.” highlighted Ben Michael Kiiza, the Victoria Motors General Manager.

Minister Gatete reiterated Government’s commitment to support the investment in local assembly of electric vehicles and appreciated Mitsubishi to have thought of Rwanda as the first African country to receive their Electric Vehicle.

About the PHEV

The PHEV comes with three drive modes; purely electric, series hybrid and parallel. While the car has an ordinary internal combustion engine, the primary role of the engine is to charge the battery (series mode) while the PHEV is in motion – hence the hybrid classification. This means the user can switch between full electric mode when plying urban routes and series mode when need for speed arises. 

Charging the PHEV using external power is an easy feat. It takes 4 to 6 hours to charge fully and will take only about 12kWh (Rwf3,000 worth of cash power).

VMRL have partnered with ASEA Brown Boveri (ABB), an industry leader in electric car charging units to supply the charging infrastructure to users of the PHEV. These charging units are conveniently installed at user’s residence and places of work.

With a 2 litre engine that goes from zero to 100kph in 10.9 seconds, the PHEV driver will enjoy the comfort and stealth of a sport utility vehicle while making unprecedented savings in energy and fuel consumption. The PHEV tackles the challenge of range anxiety associated with fully electric vehicles by automatically charging up the battery on the go, reaping the benefits of an eco-friendly lifestyle choice.

“The introduction of this Mitsubishi electric SUV into Rwanda has been a product of extensive work with engineers and partners at the Mitsubishi factory in Japan as well as ABB engineers in the Netherlands, both of whom have comprehensively trained our local technical team to ensure competent after sales support. With this versatile PHEV now on the road, we look to the future with excitement as together with our valued customers make a contribution to a greener Rwanda.” Engineer Derrick Kaguma – Project Manager EV Mobility, VMRL.