In a first for the African continent, the Volkswagen brand has launched a pilot project (in partnership with Siemens) to test the feasibility of electric mobility in an African country.

The project, which will form part of Volkswagen’s operations in Rwanda, was officially announced by Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Group South Africa (and responsible for the Sub-Sahara Africa Region).

During the pilot phase, four e-Golfs and one charging station will be introduced in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Volkswagen has signed a joint development agreement with Siemens to provide the charging infrastructure for the electric cars (www.volkswagenag.com).

With the launch of the pilot project, Rwanda becomes the first African country to introduce a Volkswagen electric car.

Mr Schäfer said: “The success of our mobility solutions business has shown us that Rwanda has the potential to leap from the internal-combustion engine into electric cars.

Rwanda has a young and progressive population that appreciates individual and modern mobility.

"Together with our development partner Siemens — and with support from the Government of Rwanda — Volkswagen wants to make the e-Golf pilot project in Rwanda a blueprint for electric mobility in Africa.”

Sabine Dall’Omo, CEO for Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa, said: “Our partnership with Volkswagen on this project solidifies our commitment not only to Rwanda but also to the East Africa region (www.siemens.com).

"By contributing towards shaping the African market for intelligent and adaptive infrastructure, while addressing skills challenges in this sector, Siemens is helping to build a more sustainable future for the people of Rwanda.”