By Moses Akaigwe
The Federal Government’s campaign aimed at transitioning Nigeria’s transport system from fossil fuel dependence to autogas and electric vehicles seems to be making impact even in the private sector with more Nigerians keying into the initiative.
One of those to take a cue from the alternative energy initiative by President Bola Tinubu is Cardinal Automobile Drive (CAD) Moto Limited, an indigenous firm with links in China, which is ushering into the Nigerian market brand new electric-powered tricycles (Keke Marwa) and golf carts under its own brand name, Cad Moto.
Cardinal has also introduced a range of utility vehicles (UTV), all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and quad bikes, which a businessman and the Managing Director of the company, TonyCardinal Chigozie Chibuzor, believes will transform the transportation industry, especially in difficult terrains.
Introducing the array of products in his office in Agor area of Okota, Lagos, Chibuzor, an electrical engineer, said CAD Moto embarked on the importation of the sundry vehicles with the long-term aim of investing in formally assembling them locally and becoming an A-list manufacturer with time.
He said in an interview: “CAD Moto is an automobile company that is presently into the sales of cars, trucks, squad bikes, electric tricycle (keke) and many more. We have started as dealers with the hope of eventually moving into the production and manufacturing stage. I was in China last year to discuss with the parent company that can help us manufacture our engines and some other parts.
“We are into UTVs, ATVs and EVs. utility vehicles are not like every kind of vehicle we know. They are used by the military, farmers, and for luxury. “There are many of these vehicles for sale stored in our warehouse here in Lagos.”
The CAD Moto Managing Director described electric vehicles as representing the future of the automobile industry, explaining that this was why he opted to also market Cad Moto-branded golf carts and electric keke in the Nigerian market.
The 2009 Electrical /Electronics Engineering graduate of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, commented on whether electric vehicles, especially the tricycle, can do well in Nigeria, considering the absence of support infrastructure.
“As I said earlier, EV is the future. One thing you can never stop in life is change. Innovation and development will always take place. Whatever the advanced countries have manufactured will always be made better for human use.
“Presently, the use of an electric vehicle has its own challenges here in Nigeria in the sense that, for instance, if the battery runs down after an initial charge, you may have the challenge of where to charge again. Maybe you are on a seven-hour journey, and the battery drains after five hours, you will need to branch to an electric charging station to give it a fast charge for about 45 minutes.
“But, because charging stations are not common here in Nigeria, it becomes a challenging factor. However, in order to cover this gap some of our electric keke have solar panel in the sense that when you are done giving it the initial charge, with the rays of the sun hitting the panel, the battery is automatically charged for the tricycle to continue moving.
On whether Cardinal is likely to go into partnership with the government to make the vehicles widely available to Nigerians, the Enugu state-born Chibuzor, remarked:: “Yes, our business is open, starting with B to C (that is, business to consumers). But, when we go into production, we will be migrating to B to B (that is, Business to Business) where individuals, dealers come to buy from our company, and then B to G (which is Business to Government) where we can have some level of partnership with the government to empower youth with electric keke and some other kinds of partnership. B to G is the final bus-stop.”
He also spoke on challenges he faces as an investor, saying “The major challenge we have is funds. But, because I know that In life if you have patience, there is nothing you cannot achieve. The high level of patience is what I have been able to introduce into our business; that is perseverance. And I have been able to have tenacity. I know that with these virtues nothing will be impossible for us.
“Finance was one of the challenges we had to grapple with in the first few years, but we decided that there is a very big advantage in growing little by little.
And, where does he see himself in the next five or ten years? “As to where we want to be in the next five to 10 years, we should be able to compete with Innoson in Nnewi and Nord, the two leading indigenous automobile companies in Nigeria which are already doing well in the industry. We see ourselves competing with them in the industry, doing very well also, including going into luxury vehicles and pleasure cars.”
“Anyone can start up anything, especially in the era of the internet, because the internet can make you sell what you don’t even own, and that is what is called drop shipping: You market somebody’s products by posting the pictures, and when the order comes, you pick it up from that person and sell to the customer. That was what I was doing until I started importing things myself. I started importing even before traveling to China.