Chinese electric vehicle maker inks deal with UN Environment

NAIROBI - A Chinese firm which manufactures electric vehicle, TAILG, and the UN Environment on Tuesday signed an e-mobility partnership agreement aimed at introducing electric vehicles in Africa and other areas of the world.

Xu Rong, TAILG Marketing Director, said the agreement will help governments of Africa and other areas of the world start phasing out defective vehicles, thus curbing air pollution.

"We intend to show the benefits of driving electric vehicles in accelerating clean environment that is free of pollution," Xu told Xinhua on the sidelines of the ongoing "Africa Clean Mobility Week" event in Nairobi.

Xu said the UN Environment is in the process of choosing eight countries where the program will start as pilot in 2018.

He noted that his firm is conducting research to understand environmental and transportation sectors in the continent.

"We are committed to joint actions to combat air pollution by ensuring that people live in clean and healthy environment," he added.

TAILG has been in operation for the last 14 years, manufacturing, marketing and servicing new energy vehicles.

Xu said that the partnership also involves training, where some government officials from Africa will visit the company's manufacturing base in China to enable them to familiarize themselves with the vehicles.

He believes the visits will help the government officials make the right policies and strategies, he added.

Xu noted that his company has been developing electric vehicles and bicycles with the aim of benefiting populations since the technology helps reduce air pollution and in the long run saves lives of people.

He said the costs of electric vehicles, which are lower compared to the cost of other vehicles, are also an advantage.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), environmental health risks cause an estimated 12.6 million deaths every year globally.

WHO indicates that health is directly related to the health of the environment people live in and that air, water and chemical hazards are to blame for many deaths. Most of these deaths occur in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America where environmental pollution takes its biggest health toll.

The company that has six producing plants in China -- Shenzhen, Dongguan, Wuxi, Xuzhou and Tianjin -- and sells some 1.8 million units of two and three wheelers electric vehicles in 60 countries.

TAILG ranks top three in China and also produces electric bike, electric scooter, electric motorcycle, electric special bike and electric tricycle.