Page 78 - Research & Innovation Report 2020
P. 78
ENGINEERING, THE BUILT
ENVIRONMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
Towards a green transport
strategy for SA
The national uYilo e-Mobility Programme is one of ten recipients of a £3-million (R60-million)
grant in the South Africa-UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (South Africa-UK
PACT) programme funded by the UK Government.
“UK PACT is funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for period and our first phase, which started in March 2021, includes
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, where they work with helping various government departments and entities to develop
partner countries to help reduce national carbon emissions and capacity in electric vehicles, showing how electric transport works
foster sustainable and inclusive economic growth,” says Edem Foli, in different modes, including public transport, privately owned
uYilo’s Programme Manager. vehicles and micro-mobility (electric bicycles, scooters and three-
wheelers).
“Our project is within the portfolio of projects confirmed at the end
of 2020 for capacity development interventions in South Africa. uYilo has partnered with the Low Carbon and Fuel Cells Centre
The grant is divided between implementing partners nationally, of Excellence (Cenex) – a UK-based, independent, non-profit
and uYilo is working with a number of government departments research and consultancy centre. Cenex shares international best
and entities to build their capacity in the electrification of road practice examples of the electrification of transport and what the
transport, which will assist the country in the implementation of the UK and Europe have done, as they are far more advanced in the
National Green Transport Strategy. roll-out of electric vehicles than South Africa. It’s an invaluable
opportunity to learn from them – what has worked and what hasn’t
“Our interventions are implemented in three phases, all online – and to adapt best practice to suit the South African environment
because of COVID protocols. They are mostly over a two-day and the African context.
uYilo Vehicle-to-Grid
76|
|
76