Isuzu East Africa is set to launch its first electric vehicle (EV) in Kenya, a major milestone in the country’s journey to sustainable mobility. The electric truck will hit the roads by 2025 as the company begins customer-based field testing to gauge market readiness and infrastructure challenges.

Rita Kavashe, Managing Director and Chairperson of Isuzu East Africa, confirmed the launch, “Our first electric vehicle will be in Kenya in 2025—a truck—for testing with our customers and we will collect data as we study what the market requires.”

Battery Life is Key

Kavashe noted that battery performance is the biggest challenge, especially for commercial vehicles that need high endurance. “The battery life is our biggest challenge now, especially since these are commercial vehicles. We don’t want our customers to keep going back and forth charging these vehicles,” she said.

Isuzu Motors Limited, the Japanese parent company, plans to offer battery-electric or hydrogen fuel-cell powered options across its entire range by 2030 in line with global trends in sustainable automotive manufacturing.

EVs in Kenya

Kenya’s EV market has been growing in recent years as global automakers and local startups enter the space. Authorized dealerships are now adding electric models from major global manufacturers to their product offerings.

Recent developments include:

  • CFAO Mobility Kenya has started selling electric vehicles from Chinese EV giant BYD, one of the world’s leading EV manufacturers alongside Tesla.

  • Simba Corp has launched electric variants, including Mahindra electric SUVs.

  • Startups such as BasiGo and Roam are pioneering EVs in the public transportation sector, focusing on buses and two-wheelers.

Infrastructure and Transition Challenges

Despite these developments, Kenya faces significant infrastructure hurdles that will slow down large-scale EV adoption. These include:

  • Inadequate public charging infrastructure

  • Unreliable electricity supply in many areas

  • High cost of electric vehicles

  • Limited access to EV maintenance expertise

The government has announced policies but implementation is slow. Experts say a full transition to electric mobility in Kenya will take decades unless infrastructure development speeds up.

Towards Greener Transport

Isuzu East Africa’s electric truck is a game changer in commercial vehicle manufacturing in the region. The company is one of the first to move into the EV space as the world moves towards cleaner energy and lower emissions.

As Kenya goes green, having established players like Isuzu in the EV market will help drive acceptance and policy for e-mobility in East Africa.