PREAMBLE:
The concept of electric vehicles (EVs) dates back to the early 19th century. In the 1830s, Robert Anderson created the first crude electric carriage using non-rechargeable primary cells. Later in the 1850s, French inventor Gaston Planté developed the lead-acid battery, a crucial advancement for electric vehicle technology.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, electric cars gained popularity, especially in urban areas, due to their quiet operation and lack of emissions. However, the mass production of gasoline-powered vehicles by Henry Ford and the discovery of large petroleum reserves shifted the focus away from electric vehicles due to the perceived limitations of battery technology, such as range and charging times.
Interest in electric vehicles rekindled in the late 20th century due to concerns about environmental pollution and the finite nature of fossil fuels. Technological advancements in battery technology, spurred by research and development efforts, led to the resurgence of electric vehicles. The introduction of lithium-ion batteries and improvements in efficiency, range, and charging infrastructure have significantly contributed to the modern electric vehicle revolution.
Companies like Tesla played a pivotal role in popularizing electric cars by introducing high-performance vehicles with longer ranges, fostering a shift in public perception of electric vehicles from being seen as limited in range and performance to being viable alternatives to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. Government incentives, regulations promoting cleaner vehicles, and the growing awareness of climate change further accelerated the adoption of electric vehicles globally.
DAFE ENERGY SOLUTIONS LIMITED
DAFE ENERGY SOLUTIONS LIMITED, officially registered under Nigerian law, specializes in the innovation, development, and commercialization of Zinc-Air fuel cell batteries technology. Dafe Energy holds an exclusive proprietary OEM license from DAFE TECHNOLOGIE GmbH, Germany, to enable them manufacture locally and apply this technology across various sectors, including electric mobility, agricultural engineering, telecommunications, power, and various small and medium enterprise (SME) needs.
Their unique battery technology aims to achieve the energy transition goals, particularly in the context of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Power Boxes for SME applications, through the local production of Zinc-Air Fuel Batteries, which provides continuous charging for existing EVs without alterations to their Battery Management Systems.
The rechargeable Zinc-Air Fuel Batteries boasts an impressive 200-300% increase in storage capacity compared to today’s Li-Ion batteries. What sets Zinc-Air Fuel Batteries apart is their cost-efficiency, lightweight nature, and remarkable energy density, designed to free up valuable space for enhanced storage capabilities.
With an energy density that outperforms existing alternatives, Zinc-Air Fuel Battery has the potential to revolutionize energy storage and propel us towards a more sustainable future in Nigeria, especially with the abundance of raw materials readily available in over 13 states in Nigeria.
Our media team conducted one-on-one interviews with the key management staff of the company who also took us to see some electric tricycle samples and how they function. Also interviewed is Rt Hon David Umar, a member representing the good people of Kachia and Kagarko federal constituency of Kaduna. He is the deputy chairman of reformatory institutions of the correctional service and a member of various committees in the federal house of representatives of Nigeria National Assembly. He told us that due to the viability of the product, his constituency will be the first to benefit. He also called on federal, state, and local governments to key into this noble discovery as part of palliatives to their people in these difficult times.
INTERVIEWS WITH TOP MANAGEMENT STAFF
KAYODE BABATUNDE IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF DAFE ENERGY SOLUTIONS:
Q: Take us into Dafe Energy Solutions; what are you all about?
Ans: We are into renewable technology, specifically innovation. Presently, our research and development have focused on storage systems known globally. For Nigeria, what we have for the country is how we can bring capacity development, production, and the establishment of factory or storage department systems.
Q: Which particular area is your innovation going to impact or have an effect in a country like Nigeria?
Ans: We have several applications we are looking at, but we have two for now. First is e-mobility, and under e-mobile, we have electric tricycles, electric buses, and anything that is related to electric mobility in the country, which we feel is the present need for Nigeria as a country.
The other application we are looking out for is providing energy for SMEs like barbers, salons, phone charging spots, especially to help the youths. The approach we are giving is what makes us unique and different from others. When we give you the energy box and within five to six months the battery goes down, being that it is in our control, we will replace the battery for you. Our interest is for you to continue running your business, and you pay us a token for that.
What we have done is that we have brought in battery technology to the country. The intention is to establish a bigger factory where we can produce the battery at a cheaper rate. For the e-mobility, we discovered that since the removal of the fuel subsidy, it has not been easy with the commuters. What we have done is to introduce a cost-effective electric tricycle (keke-maruwa) in order for them to sustain their business.
By the introduction of our battery, we consider the range at which they can cover and then provide them with the battery that can carry them within that range without necessary going for extra charges. For instance, with your electric tricycle, you know you cannot go beyond 60 to 70 kilometers before you recharge, and it will take close to 5 to 6 hours before it can be fully charged, depending on the capacity of the battery. What we do is to support you with an extra battery and 72-volt solar panels so that as you are driving, your battery is continuously being charged.
Our battery technology is known as zinc-air, which is known as the cheapest battery technology with the highest energy density in the world. Aside from this, we have the raw materials in many states of the federation. This is the way it works: when we give you our battery, it serves as a reserve just like your phone power bank; it continuously charges the intensity range of the tricycle battery and extends the range to about 300 to 400 kilometers, which most riders are unable to exhaust in a day. After about one or two days, the rider will bring the battery to us, pay us a token, then we swap the battery for them in less than two minutes because we already have our charging facilities with batteries on the ground, which will depend on solar panels that will be established in what we call service centers. And because we are manufacturing, we’ll continue to manufacture, so we have enough for as many tricycles as possible. We believe it will help the country especially at this period of high cost of fuel; it has the capacity to crash the existing cost on fuel to about 60%.
Q: Apart from your own tricycle, does your battery technology have the capacity to drive other tricycles, or is it only your type of tricycle alone that it can drive?
Ans: Yes, we are talking about electric tricycles here. Like I said, each tricycle cannot go beyond 60 kilometers, and of course, they require charging. We are not selling the battery to you; we are selling the services to you, just like the filling stations. All you do is to pay us a token; this will help to remove the burden that the federal government is having for the removal of fuel subsidy. We are looking at having modular plants across the country once we get appropriate financing for that. This will also reduce the cost of transportation across board because, once you reduce the cost of transportation, the cost of every other thing will automatically go down.
Q: In the case where a kekenapep driver did not notice on time and his power goes off on duty, just like some of them will do in terms of fuel, and you could see them pushing the vehicle, and sometimes they can just rush to the nearest filling station to get little fuel to take them to the available filling station. What happens?
Ans: Most of them don’t go beyond 80 kilometers in a day, and we are giving them batteries that can take them for as long as 200 to 300 kilometers. Every tricycle has a battery management system that notifies you of your usage and indicates the next service center close to you. But like I have said, I don’t think that will happen with the production plan that we have.
Q: What is the cost implication of having the electric tricycle?
Ans: In tricycle, there are three major components that cost more money: the battery, the frame, and the electronic component. We don’t have any intention of importing tricycle from outside the country. We are presently discussing with some tricycle manufacturers in Nigeria to help in building the frame. The only thing that we can import down will be the electrical and the modules. We have the option of working with other batteries that they may have, but the key point here is that we have 200-kilometer batteries which we are going to give you at a token. So, by the time we reduce the price of the frame and the price of the battery, it will be cheaper compared to the price of a normal keke in the market today.
Q: Considering the size of this project and the cost of carrying it out, what is your planning in getting government involvement or government support?
Ans: Yes, we have been on this project for a while, and we are getting responses from some government agencies. Another way is through the media channels peradventure the federal government may see it and call us for discussion and even help us in establishing modular battery plants across the country. We were invited by the Kano state government, and they were very excited because they have many tricycles in Kano, and the government is looking for a cheaper way to help them reduce cost. More so, they welcomed the idea due to its operating system where you don’t have to operate the gear system manually but all you just need is to press the button; the gear changes by itself. We hereby use this medium to seek the attention and collaboration of the federal government. Our foreign partners are ready to come into the country and to get into action as soon as we receive approval from the federal government. We are ready for any form of partnership, and we believe that this project is here to help the country especially at this time of fuel subsidy removal.
MR. IDONGESIT NKEREUWEM
Q: Please, can we meet you, sir?
Ans: My name is Mr. Idong Nkereuwem, the Executive Director/COO at Dafe Energy Solutions Limited.
Q: The MD has told us so much about the technological aspect of this noble project. Now, can you go ahead and tell us about the marketing angle of the product? How do you intend to go about the marketing?
Ans: What we have done is that we looked at the present structure in the market. The challenge is hydra-headed. The idea is to complement and support the existing structure in a cheaper way and also meet up with the energy transition plan of the federal government, which by extension is the plan the federal government signed with the Paris club, which is to ensure the reduction of carbon emissions becomes a priority. So, our project is coming at a time when the quest for a greener economy is being championed by global key players. What we have done is that the electric tricycle will be used to replace the internal combustion engine tricycles. Now, we are working with the existing stakeholders, dealers in tricycles. We have co-opted them to work with us based on their existing structure. Let’s create a partnership synergy, so they now begin to tell us their challenges, their design, and so forth, so that at the end of the day, there is a seamless entry into the existing market.
Q: What partnership mode do you have with the existing fuel dealers?
Ans: We intend to have service stations and swapping centers. So, we are having discussions with the marketers on using the existing filling stations as our service centers and swapping centers and also giving them the win-win structure such that they will also earn from the energy transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy. Not that we are going to take them out of the market but that we brought a product that will also put them in business. IPMAN has agreed to work with us, and we are discussing. The discussion is geared towards the existing filling stations for petrol cars and petrol tricycles will also be used as our service centers, and so the backups will also be given to them for rendering that partnership.
Q: How do you intend to mass-produce this tricycle to meet up with the demand of those that will be needing it, considering the size of the country?
Ans: The good news is that the major raw materials that will be used in producing it are in Nigeria. Our battery, for instance, the major material for the production is zinc, and it is found in about ten states in Nigeria. The second most important raw material needed is the air we breathe. So, in terms of the aggressive deployment of zinc-air battery solution, we’ve already identified where to locate the factory, we have identified key stakeholders for the fabrication of the battery. We have two factories for the two types of battery we want to build. We have the modular battery factory, which can be built within the space of 4 to 6 months and can produce 20,000 battery cartridges in a month, while the bigger one will produce over two hundred thousand cartridges in a month. Another thing we have done is that we partner with existing fabricators of tricycles. We partner with the one in Ondo state, Warri in Delta state, Kano, and another in Ogun state. So, we have that plan for exponential growth as a result of the challenges of the subsidy removal.
Q: Let’s talk about the mechanical aspect. Who is to work on the electric tricycle? Is it the normal mechanics, or is there going to be some specially trained artisans that will be carrying out the repairs?
Ans: They are two different things. The internal combustion engine is totally different from electrically propelled mechanisms. For instance, the electric tricycle has 40% fewer maintenance tendencies than the petrol-moving tricycles. No plugs, no engine oil chamber, no radiator, and so on. That eliminates over 40% complexities in terms of maintenance requirements. When we got to Kano, the slogan they gave us is “No more engine oil, no more petrol.” In addition to these, we also have after-sales services for a few things that are necessary from time to time. So, our maintenance is far lower than what is required when you are using the internal combustion engine.
Q: Can I then say that you are going to train people especially for the maintenance of this tricycle because it is different from the usual keke that we have now?
Ans: Absolutely. People are going to be trained to provide services in those areas. The job creation opportunity for the project is amazing.
Q: There is this widely spread belief that lithium batteries are higher in quality than all other batteries as long as renewable energy efficiency is concerned. What makes this your own battery technology better than lithium technology?
Ans: The answer is not far-fetched. The reason for choosing zinc-air batteries over Lithium is because setting up a lithium battery plant is not feasible in Nigeria. Quote me anywhere. The third-largest producer of lithium batteries in the world is China, and they are our partners. They have asked us why we do not want to set up a lithium factory in Nigeria, meanwhile, there is a difference between setting up a lithium processing plant and lithium battery plant. For the raw materials to produce lithium, you need lithium, which constitutes only 15%, and other materials which you cannot find easily in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, it is very expensive to set up and to sell. Secondly, the energy density of our zinc-air battery is 10 times stronger than that of lithium because density is measured in terms of weight and in terms of capacity, and then it is not substantiable to heat. It is 100% recyclable, meaning that when we have recharged to the extent we do not want to continue, we can use the zinc inside as fertilizer, and the plastic cover can also be re-used for another battery or any other thing as you may deem fit for it.
HON. DAVID UMAR:
Q: Good day, sir. It’s good being with you this good afternoon. Can we meet you?
Ans: My name is Rt. Hon. David Umar, a member representing the good people of Kachia and Kagarko federal constituency in Kaduna state, Nigeria. He is the deputy chairman reformatory institutions of the correctional service and a member of various committees in the federal house of representatives of the National Assembly.
Q: At the cause of our special report on the way out of the present difficulties imposed on the people of Nigeria by fuel subsidy removal and the recent electric car solution by Dafe Energy Technology Limited, and being that you are one person who has always desired the best for humanity, we want to talk about the electric tricycle, which we think will help the people of Nigeria at this very critical period. What is your take on that?
Ans: Thank you. Even before now, some of us know that we cannot continue with this subsidy of a thing, so the best option is to look out for an alternative so as to alleviate the masses from their suffering. When some of my friends got involved in this battery and electric tricycle manufacturing, I was closely watching them from a distance, and after observing them closely and to see their seriousness. So, when I became a member of the National Assembly, the first assignment we did was this removal of the oil subsidy. Then, I told those my friends that this is the only time you can make an impact and the only way to make an impact is to help the president’s initiative by bringing this tricycle to play. I am happy today that they have gotten it right, and they have showcased it very well, and you could see by yourself that they are good to go. Some of us who believe in them are really supporting them as much as we could. I urge the federal government to truly locate them and also partner with them in order to alleviate the suffering of the masses. This is a tricycle that is electrically run, and when fully charged, it can take up to 250 kilometers, which is approximately two to three days before you recharge again. To me, it is a very good innovation, and that’s why I am keen, I am interested, and I feel I can partner with them in this progress.
Q: Considering the volume nature of this project, and after the federal government has accepted it, what about the state government? The state government needs to accept it also. How can you help them to gain access to the state governments?
Ans: Yes, it is good they started with the national. When the national has accepted it, the state will key in. In my state, for instance, I will give the company a very strong backing so that they can achieve their marketing goals in my state in order for my people to get it quickly before other states get it. My constituency is very important; they are very key to me, and that is why people like us are with this company every now and then to make sure it comes out successfully at the end of the day. For the finances, which is very key, I think the president has done very well by the manufacturing loan that he agreed that he is going to give to the people in the manufacturing sector to be able to produce effectively. I also urge them to cue into this funding so that they will be able to get funds to carry out some of their manufacturing activities for them to achieve the objective of this innovation.
Q: While speaking with one of the key people in this mobile electric innovation like the Dafe Energy Solution, we realized that most of the materials for the manufacturing can be locally sourced. What about the tires and some of the electrical parts that depend on importation? What role are you going to play to assist them to make sure that some of these import charges are waved or highly subsidized?
Ans: Yes, in my last discussion with them, I told them that the issue of importing everything won’t work. Let them look for a way that they can source the production materials locally because 80% of that tricycle was locally sourced. They will partner with the local keke manufacturers to produce the skeletons, and by the time that is done and they produce the battery and the furniture, the keke is 90% done. So, it will not suffer the dollarization, because that is our major problem today – the dollarization, and I think that this is a good innovation that will help to make sure we move ahead.
Q: Rt. Honourable Sir, in line with this very interview, I would like you to talk to the people of Nigeria. This is because you are not just speaking for your constituency alone, but you are also a voice in the country as a federal lawmaker. So, what is your advice to the good people of Nigeria over this very project?
Ans: Yes, I want to use this medium to call upon the good people of Nigeria, ranging from individuals to local governments to state governments to key in by buying in large quantity to empower their people. You can order for about 10 or more and pay like 15% down payment through the bank; then the remaining can be paid on installment while the keke is in use. I then urge every Nigerian to partner with this company so that they can get this innovation working for us. Thank you so much, Honorable. It has been a good moment speaking with you today, and by the grace of God and with the good-spirited individuals like you, Nigeria will move out from this economic quagmire she has found herself today. Thank you too; you are most welcomed.
AZIZAT MOHAMMED IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PROJECTS AT DAFE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY LTD
Quest: Good day, Madam. Can you please tell us a bit about your office in Dafe Energy Solution Limited?
Ans: Thank you. My name is Azizat Mohammed, and I am the Executive Director Projects at Dafe Energy Solution. At Dafe Energy Solutions, we have brought in a mind-blowing one-stop-shop innovative technology that can literally revolutionize the way we use power and what we can use to create power, which is zinc-air battery solution. So, following many years of research, we have been able to find out that zinc-air battery solution has multiple benefits, advantages, and features over what is existing in the industry today.
For example, it has a high-energy density capacity, it has more capacity than any of the batteries existing in the industry, with lithium, mercury, or what have you. It’s also eco-friendly, it has 100% sustainability because it is a natural resource, and of course, you find it in more than 13 states in Nigeria, and most importantly is that after the cycle has been utilized, it can actually be converted to fertilizers for farmers. And again, it has multiple applications and uses. From using it for hearing aids as tiny as that to using it for EVs (electric vehicles), we can apply it to the telecommunication industry and ensure that there is power stability in telecommunication masts, we can use it for off-grid power solutions, we can use it in multiple ways; it all depends on how we design it. We also have our energy in a box model, where we have the batteries stacked up such that we can provide power for small and medium enterprises and ensure that they have power supply to do their business on daily basis and to ensure that every business thrives in spite of all odds.
Quest: We would like you to throw more light in the area of the battery because before now, there has been a lot of other batteries which we were told are the best of batteries. So, which edge does your technology have over others that will create a better market?
Ans: Though I have mentioned that before, but I will still expatiate on one of the things that makes us stand out. First, is the ready availability of the Zinc raw material in over 13 states in Nigeria; it means that for those mining zinc here, we will have the ability to start producing our own in-house batteries right here and at our doorsteps, have our modular plants produced and ensure that there is continuous and sustainability of our power solution.
Secondly, it is the cheapest, it’s cost-friendly, cost-effective for businesses, and also for investors because we cannot compare the cost of lithium in the market today to the cost of zinc. Then also it’s tenable; you can have it in tiny sizes from as small as using it for earpiece to as large as using it for electric vehicles, electric tricycles, electric tractors, or whatever it is as long as an electric moving machine is concerned. Another thing to note is that because the world is going green today, there is no solution that matches us when it comes to ECO-friendliness, so it is environmentally friendly, it has zero toxicity because zinc can even be used for powder, it can be used for cosmetics, we also take zinc as supplements, and we have zinc in everything that we do. So, even when the recharge cycles of the lifespan of the battery are over, it can be given to farmers as fertilizers and so on.
Quest: Another area is the area of acceptability of the product in the state of the federation. As the director in charge of projects, in what ways do you intend to make this project to be generally acceptable in different states of the federation?
Ans: Acceptability hasn’t been our problem; our problem is the initial cost seemingly so huge to set up the modular plant in some parts of Nigeria because we have to manufacture, we have to think of the casing for the batteries, we have to think of those mining the zinc, supplying us, processing the zinc into the form that is best used for our battery type. From the test run we did on the streets and the way people trooped out to cheer us, that made us to know that acceptability is not the problem but the initial take-off fund that we need from investors to believe enough in this project, pull that fund together and see that for the first time in our country we are not just assembling but manufacturing from the scratch because everything that is needed for this zinc-air battery solution is here in Nigeria.
Quest: What level of attention are you receiving from the people out there?
Ans: We have actually gotten attention from a lot of people out there and the players across board. We have also had a lot of questions and a lot of desire from the masses. We had an experience when we took our first test to Kano; we have never been so received like the kind of acceptability we received in Kano. Our case is no longer the problem of acceptability because people are already subscribing; what we need to do is for the government and investors to match the demand with investments because the demand is there. In terms of fuel subsidy, it has helped Nigerians to begin to see why we need this solution and why we need it now. So, like we talked about it being cheaper, we talked about green sustainability as well.
Quest: Let’s talk about the use of the existing marketers like we were told that you have plans to use the existing marketers for your modular plants substations; tell us more about that?
Ans: Ok, it’s the already existing Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), I guess that’s what you are talking about. Yes, we had discussions with them so that we can use their fuel stations. Instead of just selling fuel alone, we will also have our EVs (electric vehicles) charging stations whereby electric vehicles can stop to charge. So, we are having multiple infrastructures so that when this project starts there is no stopping.
Thank you so much; it’s nice having you on Afrimark news.
Pleasure is all mine; thank you also for coming.
