@ Njunge.

Ideally the hybrid or electric cars are the best fit for the world today. It is estimated that fuel prices will forever be on the increase over the next 100 year or at least until the last well of crude oil is drained.

Many people, myself included, support electric cars on the premise that they are climate - neutral. However as an economist, I always believe that these environmental issues like (carbon emissions) climate change are in fact economic issues by all rights. And that's where one may get genuine reasons to punch holes, deep holes into this idea of electric cars. The first one being that the marketing/ maybe even touting of these cars leaves aout lots of economic truths. The first one being heavy subsidies (upto USD 7,500 per unit in the US)and higher in Europe. Besides, the current charging options themselves are sources of green house emissions. In the end, the electric cars produced just about 20-25% less GGE (greenhous gas emissions) than conventional internal combustion engines, when you throw in aother variable such as cost of production, it becomes a zero-sum equation with reductions in GGEs of just about 2-3%,although matters of critical mass for electric cars are wanting.

African urban and regional planners should be thinking of ways of increasing the use of mass transport systems like the 50 seater buses and the light rail commuter train systems. Thika road kind of investments. Make it so expensive to operate a private car in crowded cities like Nairobi and you will effectively cut dowm the demand for that fuel in addition to increasing your climate neutrality.

Surely, if a piece of that Nissan, (and a small NISSAN at that) goes for the 3m in the US, factor in CIF, out own taxes and exclude the USD 7500 subsidy (unless the US will be philanthropic enough to subsidise LDC consumption)and you realise we cannot afford this. Do we have enough electricty to charge the cars? Do we even have infrastructure for charging the cars?

By the way Njunge, that range of 160 km is when the car is new, only has the driver. Two more people and four pieces of luggage and you cut the range by almost 45%.

carlos ghosn ni jamaa wa power sana,maybe he can pull it off.

But I suspect he will fail,we are sitting in a time bomb...this oil dependency will lead to the third world war...we are living in a fools paradise...just listen to this most coolest professor alive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3y7UlHdhAU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyseLQVpJEI

njungz.u shud watch the docu who killed the electric car...GM had developed an elec car in the 90s fully electric

@ Njunge

Do I really sound heartless? I would only worry if Wendz said I was.

In principle we are in agreement. But what I meant is that in terms of public policy, we are not at the stage where these cars would be helpful to us. How many Kenyan's buy new cars anyway?

The better way is to improve the mass transport systems, like you have mentioned. Then slowly let the manufacturers of those green cars introduce to our markets what they have to offer.

The conspiracy theories of who killed the green cars etc contain half truths (i didn't say half lies).

Good weekend

Not only should the Arabs drink their oil....Sudan should also do so. so is Uganda,Nigeria etc..The Lamu/Turkana search for oil should stop immediatelly...KenGen watuuzie hiyo spaki tuendeshe ma dinga zetu.. ..."Na Mukae hivyo hivyooo"...