When LEADERSHIP Weekend visited the workshop of the Phoenix Renewable Energy located around Pompomari Industrial Layout in Maiduguri, there was a beehive of activities with workers coupling some already converted petrol-powered vehicles to electric vehicles.
He added that when produced his vehicles would checkmate the cost of imported vehicles, and bring down the cost of transportation caused by the high cost of petroleum products since his car won’t depend on petrol to operate. “We started by converting normal tricycles with petrol power to fully electric, and then we moved from that to converting petrol mini buses to electric buses.
“He has been recommending us and he has even talked about our project even at the recent summit on climate change at Glasgow in his speech. He said the first challenge he faced was in the beginning when he felt like he was alone on his own planet. Speaking further, the inventor said, “Access to funding was another challenge, the whole issue needs a lot of funding. For instance, building prototypes, deploying proof of concept, and pilot schemes need a lot of funding. We faced challenges doing that because, from the beginning, we did not get support from any individual or government.