Author Topic: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid  (Read 10440 times)

Offline RVtitem

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http://www.nation.co.ke/business/Kiira-Hybrid-Launch-KICC/-/996/2519208/-/w54402z/-/index.html

Offline RV Pundit

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2014, 09:43:47 AM »
Impressive car. Did Uganda design and build the prototype. It look word class.


Offline RVtitem

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2014, 02:00:36 PM »
Let technology wars begin. This looks like a new era.

The ugandan car has the feel of konza city, lets hope its real. It also looks like a superimposition of jaguar and Chrysler.
 

Offline Mr Mansfield.

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2014, 04:34:05 PM »
There we go,its just wow.................



Without Prejudice.

Offline RVtitem

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2014, 09:18:48 PM »

Offline RVtitem

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2014, 09:35:21 PM »
Looks like the Ugandan car project is a government homegrown initiative. Ugandan's have to give M7 credit for this.

Quote
The Vehicle Design Project is an innovative research project aimed at applying contemporary technologies   to develop sustainable transportation solutions for Uganda and Africa. The Project was inspired by the Vehicle Design Summit (VDS), an International Student-Led Consortium aimed at Leapfrogging Sustainable Transportation Technologies. In 2008, Vehicle Design Summit (VDS) Teams from 35 Pre-eminent Research Universities built a 5 seater Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, The Vision 200 Led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  Makerere University, the only African team, developed the Power Train and in-Vehicle Communication Network for the Vision 200.

The vision of the project is to be at the forefront of research and development of green transport technologies in Africa, while its mission is to carry out research aimed at development of cost effective and environmentally friendly transportation technologies for Africa. The Tactical Objective, on the other hand, is to build from scratch a 2-seater Electric Vehicle code-named Kiira as proof of concept, while the strategic objectives are; development of Hybrid Public transport Vehicle-(Omni-bus), and establishment of Centre of Excellence in Transportation Research.

The project is currently headed by Prof. Tickodri Togboa Sande (Deputy Principal, CEDAT) assisted by Mr. Paul Isaac Musasizi (Lecturer) and Mr. Dominic Semukuttu (Lecturer).

Its backbone research is undertaken by a group of undergraduate students and its current membership is ; Richard Madanda ELE IV (Dealing with power electronics), Gyagenda Nasser MEC IV (Dealing with vehicle mechanics), Gerald Baguma TEL IV , Diana Kagimba TEL III and Patricia Atungire TEL IV( Dealing with control and data communication)

They are also planning a Solar Bus Concept called KAYOOLA Electric Solar bus for city transit.
Quote
To emphasize her continued commitment to green Transport Solutions, CRTT immediately started working on a number of green vehicle concepts among which is the KAYOOLA Electric Solar bus for city transit. The Kayoola is a 37-seater hybrid electric / solar bus.



http://cedat.mak.ac.ug/research/crtt.html

Offline RV Pundit

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2014, 09:59:24 PM »
Yes..something our universities can pick it up.

Offline RVtitem

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #8 on: November 12, 2014, 11:28:02 PM »
Yes..something our universities can pick it up.

This might not happen in the near future going by the recent squabbles going on with the courses. I think our professors take teaching as a side job to augment their earnings mainly from consulting, farming, matatu businesses etc. There is no serious incentives from the government and to a lesser extend the private sector in promoting innovation at the universities. Safaricom, samsung et al  are trying a bit in the IT but other manufacturing/contractor players such as KBL, coca cola , KAM etc are yet to be seen. Yet they are the first complaining about substandard graduates.

Offline MOON Ki

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2014, 12:18:09 AM »
I can understand why Ugandans are excited about this, but the Kenyans are a puzzle.

* Taking into account advances in technology----"green", EV, etc.---Uganda, with its M7 Sedan, has just arrived at where Kenya was, years ago, with Nyayo 1.   

* A look at the Ugandan "automobile industry" that had produced the M7 Sedan shows that it is very similar to the Kenyan team that went nowhere: 1 professor from the local university, 2 researchers, and a small dog.   

* Real production is an altogether different matter, but Kenya actually tried.  GoK and the Japanese govt. gave out a bunch of scholarships for people to study automobile engineering in Japan, to prepare for Nyayo-One on a large scale.  And off they went.   I wonder what they did on graduation.

* The current automobile industry is a very tough one these days.  Take a look at Saab, Volvo, Holden, etc.  and even the big ones.   The Ugandans themselves say they need to find $300 million before  the two-men-and-a-dog can team get started on industrial production.

*  A look at Ugandan papers indicates that the M7 Sedan was launched a few months ago, and it is quite the clunker---nothing like the Kampala Batmobile shown in the DN article.

And then this: "Ms Mukasa estimated the cost of the vehicle at $30,000 (Sh2.6 million) when it is released into the market."

Wow.
MOON Ki  is  Muli Otieno Otiende Njoroge arap Kiprotich
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Offline RVtitem

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2014, 01:41:47 AM »
You have to give Uganda some benefit of doubt. There is a big possibility that they will get it right. I really do not buy your idea of giving up simply because a few morons tried and failed. In any case it is better to try and fail than not trying at all.

Volvo is now booming big time courtesy of partnering with Chinese. They are currently hiring massively.
Saab car section was a Swedish government pet  project to keep its military engineers busy during times of peace. Their main business is weaponry and am sure they are cashing in this day and era.

Offline MOON Ki

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2014, 02:43:03 AM »
You have to give Uganda some benefit of doubt. There is a big possibility that they will get it right. I really do not buy your idea of giving up simply because a few morons tried and failed. In any case it is better to try and fail than not trying at all.

Volvo is now booming big time courtesy of partnering with Chinese. They are currently hiring massively.
Saab car section was a Swedish government pet  project to keep its military engineers busy during times of peace. Their main business is weaponry and am sure they are cashing in this day and era.

1st RED: And why exactly should I do that?    I actually took the "trouble" to look at the entire history of M7 Sedan and who is behind it.  It is on that basis that I see its prospects as rather dim.    Take a look around the world and see how many two-men-and-a-dog teams build EVs for "summer competitions".   The real question, which must be answered before the big bucks start to roll in,  is actually not that complex: what exactly does the M7-Sedan  team (and their allies) have to offer that cannot be easily found elsewhere or brought in from elsewhere (and probably at a lower cost)?   So far, I can't think of single thing.   Not even cheap labour.

A company like Volvo, which I actually know very well,  did not sell itself to the Chinese because of a love for Kung Fu; the car-industry economics simply got too tough.   Volvo also happens to have a lot (IP, factories, world-class engineers) that that would interest outside parties.    There are numerous other instructive examples: take a look at, say, Holden, Ford, GM, and Mitsubishi in Australia and elsewhere.  It's a tough world.  I could be wrong---and time will tell---but I don't see many lining up to "partner" in the production of these M7 things. 


2nd RED: A trite statement that's paraded around far too often, unnecessarily, and to the detriment of many misguided souls.   The real truth, as borne by experience, is that there are numerous cases where it's simply not worth the bother or it's just a too-costly stupid indulgence.    For a little "national-pride" project by some local university kids and a few big-ego industrialists, why not?   But if it is anything that requires serious government money or anything serious by anyone serious, one would have to say that Uganda has more urgent problems to deal with than the production of $30,000 clunkers.   There is an obvious alternative to getting out of bed to do something silly, costly, and doomed to fail, solely on the grounds that it has to be better than doing nothing: stay in bed and do nothing.

Of course, if Ugandans are happy with all of it, then that's just fine.  Good for them. But I will repeat this:

"I can understand why Ugandans are excited about this, but the Kenyans are a puzzle."
« Last Edit: November 13, 2014, 03:44:32 AM by MOON Ki »
MOON Ki  is  Muli Otieno Otiende Njoroge arap Kiprotich
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Offline MOON Ki

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2014, 03:29:39 AM »
Konza-City style:








Real-Life style:









MOON Ki  is  Muli Otieno Otiende Njoroge arap Kiprotich
Your True Friend, Brother,  and  Compatriot.

Offline RV Pundit

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #13 on: November 13, 2014, 08:16:06 AM »
Uganda's KIIRA is good as R&D...Mobius seem to be identified a gap and are ready for market.

Offline gout

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Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one ~ Thomas Paine

Offline RV Pundit

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #15 on: November 13, 2014, 10:08:29 AM »
Look like African renaissance might be starting..

Offline RVtitem

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Offline Olekoima

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Re: Mobius kitu gani? Uganda has come up with Kiira EV SMART hybrid
« Reply #17 on: November 14, 2014, 02:56:30 PM »
http://www.nation.co.ke/business/Kiira-Hybrid-Launch-KICC/-/996/2519208/-/w54402z/-/index.html

I don't see any competion here. These two belong to different market segments. They will hardly compete against one another. The Ugandan one is a sedan.