Scaling electric transit: How one engineer is transforming African public transportation systems.
In short: Doreen Orishaba shares her journey from building Africa's first electric car to operating fleets of electric buses across Kenya and Rwanda. She explains the practical realities of scaling clean, silent transport and why moving away from fossil fuels is more achievable than many skeptics once believed.
In 2011, Doreen Orishaba participated in the creation of Africa's first electric vehicle, a project initially met with criticism that it was merely a novelty for Western nations. Since then, she has transitioned to large-scale implementation, managing dozens of electric buses that transport thousands of daily commuters in Kenya and Rwanda.
The transition to these zero-exhaust, near-silent vehicles represents a shift in how urban mobility can function without traditional gas station infrastructure. Orishaba’s work at the TED Countdown Summit in June 2025 highlights the logistical and economic requirements for making sustainable, quiet, and affordable public transit a standard reality rather than a distant goal.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: How to Make Transportation Quieter, Cleaner and Cheaper | Doreen Orishaba | TED
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