Mustapha Muhammad Tukur

The National Automotive Design and Development Council under the leadership of its Director General, Mr. Jelani Aliyu MFR in collaboration with Universty of Lagos (UNILAG) has on Tuesday commisioned first solar powered electric vehicle charging station in Universty of Lagos, Lagos State.

The project which is part of the NADDC’s Electric Vehicle Pilot Project was commisioned by the honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Hon. Otunba Niyi Adebayo CON at the Faculty of Engineering, university’s main campus, Yaba Lagos.

In his remarks, the minister said the program is another of the Federal Government’s initiatives (under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR), designed to promote advanced technology transfer and the development of sophisticated human capital.

“For my ministry (the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment), programs such as these are the lifeblood of everything we are trying to achieve. It is, after all, a proven fact among advanced nations, that the key to successful industrialization is strategic human capital & capacity development in state of the art technologies.

“So what does this mean for you? It means giving you the tools to build a future that is uniquely yours, to inspire in you the light of innovation and creativity that will enable you write a new chapter.

“This charging station has been developed by the NADDC in its efforts to promote applicable local solutions for Vehicle Electrification in Nigeria. It
will offer students firsthand experience with the latest innovations in mobility and renewable power technology. It is strategized to be an effective platform for focused Research and Development into even more applicable Vehicle Electrification solutions for Nigeria and Africa”, the minister averred.

The Minister added, “Earlier I said that this is a ‘historic day’, but it’s not just because of what we have done, rather, because of our confidence in what you will do with it. It is my prayer that very soon we will launch and mass-produce renewable energy powered vehicles of which innovative Nigerian youth are an integral part of their conceptualization, design and development.

“To this end the federal government, through agencies such as the National Automotive Design & Development Council, will continue to support you, your dreams and ambitions for the good and prosperity of this great nation”.

However in his speech, the Director General, NADDC, Mr. Jelani Aliyu reiterated the agency’s effort towards reviving the Automotive industry in the country.

Aliyu disclosed that the pilot project was first targeted at 3 universities, with Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto as the flag off center, followed by Universty of Lagos and lastly Universty of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State.

He averred, “The world is in a race on the backs of eagles, and Nigeria cannot afford to be in that race on the backs of anything less, neither a falcon nor a hawk, but on the backs of eagles. What ever advanced technology is being leveraged by developed countries around the world must also be identified, transferred and optimized by Nigeria for the betterment of its people.

“We are now in the fourth Industrial revolution, characterized by highly advanced technologies, robotics, artificial intelligence, block chain technology and other incredible solutions.

“For the Automotive sector it means vehicles that are highly embedded with ict solutions, connectivity between the vehicles themselves, their users and the road infrastructure. It means vehicles that think for themselves and are therefore safer, more efficient and better for humanity.

“And most important of all is the revolutionary paradigm shift in the type of energy that would power these new generation of vehicles. We are now in the Vehicle Electrification era: cars, trucks and buses all powered by electricity. A strategic transition from fossil fuel (i.e. petrol,/diesel) to pure electric power.

“This is important because the world can no longer afford to continue polluting the environment through the use of fossil fuel and its attendant emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane.

“That is why the NADDC, with the immeasurable support of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, is committed to promoting the adoption, development, manufacturing and usage of advanced technology in the Nigerian Automotive sector.

“And so the question now is not what are we going to do, because we have already started.
Early this year, on the 5th of February, H.E. the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment unveiled the first Nigerian assembled Electric Vehicle, the Hyundai Kona EV, and today he is commissioning the NADDC Solar Powered EV Charging Station, here at the University of Lagos. These developments add Nigeria to the league of nations actively committed to the protection of the environment through zero emissions vehicles.

“This EV Charging Station to be commissioned today is 100% Solar Powered. The installation consist of 60 PV Monocrystalline Solar arrays (panels), which have a capacity of 86.4 kilowatts per hour, there are 3 online-offline 5KVA Hybrid inverters synchronized together to give 15 KVA/48 WATTS, and we have 36 units of Deep Cycle Gel batteries with an output of 48 volts/19 and 0.

“The Power bank consists of 36 units of dry cell, deep cycle batteries of up to 95Kwh storage capacity”.

The NADDC Boss added, “The Power bank consists of 36 units of dry cell, deep cycle batteries of up to 95Kwh storage capacity.
The system provides ordinary 13A and 15A sockets that can support all types normal chargers. The station also provides a 7.4kw CCS fast charger and can support up to 11kw types.

“The monitoring and evaluation team shall consist of experts from NADDC, University, Hyundai and relevant stakeholders.

“This Solar Powered EV Charging Station will offer to the university an effective platform for advanced innovation in EVs and related Renewable Energy solutions.

“We shall today look at the Hyundai Kona EV, the Jet EV Van and the Electric Vehicle developed by the engineering students of the University of Lagos”.

Present at the event were Honourable Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Mr. Otunba Niyi Adebayo, DG NADDC, Mr. Jelani Aliyu, NADDC Board Chairman, Sen. Osita Izunaso, Vice Chancellor Universty of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, CEO Stallion Group, Other NADDC Staffs amongst others.