One of Uganda’s most popular automotive startups has made yet another breakthrough with the launch of its new bus model the Kiira Motors Kayoola Diesel Coach. The company hopes that with this diesel-powered bus it’ll be able to expand its service delivery much further.
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Features of the Kiira Motors Kayoola Diesel Coach
The manufacture of the locally made diesel bus started last year in December. The locally made bus manufactured by Kiira Motors Corporation, a state enterprise has a luxurious interior with 47 leather seats, a lavatory, onboard WiFi and CCTV cameras.
The diesel-powered bus also known as the Kayoola Diesel Coach has been designed to travel for longer distances as compared to the Kayoola EVS. The Kiira Motors Kayoola Diesel Coach can travel for 2200 kilometres on a single 500-litre fuel tank as compared to the Kayoola EVS that only runs for 300 kilometres on a single charge.
The Kiira Motors Kayoola Diesel Coach started its road tests on Monday at Luwero industries in Nakasongola said Ruth Nasejje the media strategist at Kiira Motors Corporation according to Xinhua.
According to Kiira Motors Chief Executive Paul Isaac Musasizi, customers will have an option of electric and diesel models of the KDC, this specific design is meant for the tourism industry, where bus services may be used to enter remote areas that do not have a charging system.
There have been some questions as to whether Kiira Motors manufactures or simply assembles the buses.
According to Mr Musasizi, the business develops and installs all the equipment on the vehicles it is constructing. Most of the vehicle components are contract-produced for Kiira Motors before the domestic and regional automotive supply chain reaches technological capability and economies of scale to justify the domestication of those functions.
The Kayoola Solar Bus
The Kayoola Solar Bus was Kiira Motors’ first project launched in 2016 which revolutionized public transport in Uganda and the continent. The first of its kind on the African continent, the Kayoola Solar bus relies on lithium-ion batteries to power an electric motor that is coupled to a 2-speed pneumatic shift transmission.
The Kayoola offers a smoother and cleaner ride, experiencing less vibration and less noise as the result of replacement of the usual internal combustion diesel engine with an electric machine.
With the launch of the Kiira Motors Kayoola Diesel Coach, the company is highly motivated and has plans to produce about 1000 buses by end of 2021 which will modernize public transport where 50 of these buses will be electric.
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