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When computer engineer Joel Jackson arrived in Kenya in 2009 one of the first things he noticed was the state of the roads.
He had come to the country with a non-profit organisation to help small-scale farmers increase their productivity, but he soon realised that a more pressing problem existed.
"It became clear that the lack of appropriate transport affected many parts of rural Africa," he said.
It'll be intereesting to see if he can make it work, the biggest issue would be reliability i imagine, if it isn't reliable, they wont buy it as that's the most important thing on that Continent. Not like it's easy to get parts just anywhere.
"Reliability" for something like this in that kind of environment seems relative. It probably doesn't matter much if it runs forever without breaking so much as it can be put back into service quickly and easily when it does. And it seems the less complicated a machine is, the more likely it can be put back into service quickly and easily when it breaks.
One of the advantages of Russian cars back in the 60s and 70s, was that any mechanical breakdown could easily be fixed by the mechanic on a nearby collective farm, using a hammer and a vise grip. When automobiles first become widespread in West Africa, the most popular car was the famous Citroen 2CV, which had little difficulty making it across the Sahara Desert with a hundred gallons of jerry cans and a spare 375-cc engine strapped to the roof..
The major change in auto technology since then is easily visible in an American car showroom. The modern car is an SUV designed for a housewife to drive to the hairdresser in a Dallas mall, and doesn't even have a spare tire, nor a place to put one. Conventional sedans are designed for the car rental fleet, to be driven from the airport to the five star hotel's valet parking. Africa has little use for a car with 12 speakers that parallel parks itself.
Last edited by CowanStern; 06-28-2012 at 05:32 AM..
I don't think anyone should be promoting gasoline burning transportation in poor countries. Are we trying to get them to jump in at the end of the oil era?
I don't think anyone should be promoting gasoline burning transportation in poor countries. Are we trying to get them to jump in at the end of the oil era?
I don't think anyone should be promoting gasoline burning transportation in poor countries. Are we trying to get them to jump in at the end of the oil era?
You have a point. This Joel Jackson cat should be taking advantage of sub-Saharan Africa's extensive electric-car-recharging infrastructure.
> Are we trying to get them to jump in at the end of the oil era?
Some African countries export oil. So for them it would be a matter of jumping in front of the line (if they can afford it).
These days I don't see it as difficult to make a robust inexpensive car. But it does mean leaving out not only luxuries but also safety features that we are accustomed to the the west.
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