In her recent post on The Dire State of Kekehs in Liberia our team member Eline Terneusen discussed the poor quality of the current kekehs in Liberia. This results in drivers having to endure loud noises that cause hearing losses, being exposed to exhaust fumes that causes breathing problems and driving vehicles that hardly last longer than a year. These drivers expose themselves to enormous physical risks while being trapped in poverty. 

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In this post, I am going to outline a much better way forward, a way forward that improves the air quality in Monrovia, reduces the noise pollution in the cities and provides a path for the drivers out of poverty. This way, they can support themselves and their families. People often talk about win-win situations, with this initiative I can’t begin to count the wins reached. 

"... electric kekehs are far superior vehicles. Period. They will outlast their gasoline powered counterparts every time. The reason for this is simple, the engines of gasoline-powered kekehs have thousands of small parts that all are subject to wear and tear. In contrast, their electric counterparts only have a handful of very sturdy parts."

First and foremost, electric kekehs are far superior vehicles. Period. They will outlast their gasoline powered counterparts every time. The reason for this is simple, the engines of gasoline-powered kekehs have thousands of small parts that all are subject to wear and tear. In contrast, their electric counterparts only have a handful of very sturdy parts. Additionally, there is a shortage of good quality spare parts in Liberia and often the work of local mechanics leaves much to be desired. This means that the average gasoline-powered kekehs breaks down within 1.5 years. 

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This leads us to our next point: Total Cost of Ownership or TCO for short. TCO might not sound like an incredibly high-brow impact concept to look at. However, it can have serious consequences for kekeh drivers. I would even go as far as to say that it is the only thing that matters if you want to improve people’s ability to earn a decent income. TCO includes the total cost of acquisition and operating costs, as well as costs related to replacement or upgrades at the end of the life cycle. TCO is used to gauge the viability of any capital investment. This simply means in the case of our kekeh driver, how much does it cost to use and operate and earn a living from their kekeh per year. If your kekeh only runs for 1,5 years this means the TCO is about 4000 USD!

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The TCO of the electric kekehs Emergi will introduce is 1500 USD. This means that the driver will at least make 2500 USD a year more, simply because our kekehs are more durable. Not only that, the cost of energy is also lower due to solar power. As you start putting these pieces together, you get a pretty compelling image as to why introducing our electric kekehs will be such a big catalyst for better income for the drivers. 

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And yes, there is no noise pollution because the engines are electric; and yes, no air pollution because the engines are electric. Win - win - win. Our initiative is about durability. What Liberia needs are durable products; durable kekehs that generate more income for the drivers and a resilient future for Liberia.