The Road to Africa Expedition Reaches Zambia
Where the Electric Road Met the Value Chain
By the time the Road to Africa convoy reached Zambia, the expedition had already proved one thing clearly: electric mobility across borders is not a future theory. It is a practical test of roads, power, people and coordination.
The Zambia leg began before sunrise. We crossed from Tanzania into Zambia through Nakonde at around 3am, timing the crossing to avoid the long lines of trucks that build up at the border. It was an early start, but a necessary one. This expedition has always been about more than driving. It has also been about understanding how transport corridors actually work.
At the first toll station, we met Mr Charlton, who helped us get our paperwork in order for smooth transit through Zambia’s toll system. He also had the chance to drive the Farizon H9E truck through the toll gate.
After the noise of the diesel trucks moving through the station, the quietness of the electric truck stood out immediately. Mr Charlton could not stop smiling at how smooth and silent it felt. Moments like this became a pattern across the trip. The vehicles often made the case for electric mobility before anyone needed to explain it.
From Nakonde, the road opened into some of the most beautiful landscapes we experienced on the Road to Africa expedition. The stretch between Nakonde and Chinsali was among the best roads of the journey, with wide views, strong surfaces and driving conditions that made long-distance electric travel feel natural. The next day in Mpika, we charged from an old transformer standing out in a field. It was not a formal charging station, but it worked.
That stop changed how the corridor looked to us. Along one of the region’s important transport routes, power was already available. With planning, investment and coordination, high-capacity chargers along this corridor no longer felt far-fetched. Mpika also gave us our first proper local meal in Zambia: nshima and chicken. After the long road, it was exactly what we needed. Serenje brought a different kind of test.
We arrived very late, around 1am, in biting cold. ZESCO engineers were there to help us connect the vehicles to power and keep the convoy moving. Their support was a reminder that long-distance electric mobility depends on people as much as infrastructure.
ZESCO’s role throughout Zambia was central. For electric corridors to work, utilities have to be active partners in route planning, power access and charging reliability.
The road also brought smaller moments that showed how new this technology still feels to many people. Road rules and enforcement vary across the countries we visit, and the EVs often became an icebreaker. When officers stopped us, curiosity quickly took over. Showing them the empty space under the bonnet usually ended with laughter and a warning instead of a penalty.
The same curiosity followed us in towns, toll stations, campuses and parking lots. People wanted to know the range, the charging time, the cost of power and the cost of maintenance. Every time maintenance came up, the logic landed quickly: fewer moving parts, no oil changes and lower running costs.
The next chapter took us north to Kitwe.
Copperbelt University sits in the heart of Zambia’s copper belt, making it the right place to talk about where electric mobility meets the minerals that power it. After a courtesy call with Professor Bernard Mudenda Hang’ombe, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, we took the convoy onto campus.
Dr Enzoh Langi, a lecturer in mechanical engineering, test drove the Kabisa Riddara RD6 Pro. What stood out to him was the quiet drive and the feel of regenerative braking. Coming from someone who teaches how vehicles work, that reaction carried weight.
The larger story was the setting.
Copperbelt University is already working on research and curriculum around critical minerals and battery value chains. The vehicles parked outside represented one side of the transition. The minerals, research and future skills inside the university represented the other. The students made the day.
We walked them through Kabisa the Riddara RD6 Pro and the Farizon H9E carrying the 40kW mobile DC charger. Their questions were sharp and technical. They asked about charging, batteries, vehicle systems, power, maintenance and what it would take to build an electric mobility ecosystem in Zambia.
The campus visit made the future talent pipeline visible. These were not only students looking at new vehicles. They were future engineers, technicians and researchers engaging with systems they may one day build, maintain, regulate and improve.
The Kitwe visit was organised by Andrew Chifunga Munganga, founder and executive director of Impact Center, alongside the Engineering Institution of Zambia. Their work helped connect the expedition to the students, researchers and technical community that will be central to Zambia’s next phase.
In Lusaka, the expedition moved from the road into the ecosystem.
The team engaged with partners including the Zambian Electric Mobility Innovation Alliance ZEMIA, ZESCO, the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency, the Zambia Development Agency, the UN Environment Programme, Impact Center, ZIPAR and other institutions working on Zambia’s clean transport future.
McDonald Chilepa, ZEMIA Board Member and Lead Consultant Legal, was instrumental in making the Zambia leg successful. Together with the wider ZEMIA team, including Kabayo Muhau, he helped connect the expedition to key institutions, policy conversations and local ecosystem actors.
Annika Berlin from the UN Environment Programme also played an important role in the Lusaka engagement, bringing regional e-mobility experience into the conversation and helping connect Zambia’s work to the wider African electric mobility agenda.
At the Road to Lusaka Forum, the conversation was direct: how does Zambia move from interest in electric mobility to implementation?
The convoy helped ground that discussion. These were not vehicles on a brochure or a presentation slide. They had arrived by road, after thousands of kilometres of electric driving through East and Southern Africa.
Before leaving Zambia for Zimbabwe, we ended the leg at Charangwe River Lodge, on the shore of the mighty Zambezi River.
It was a fitting place to close this chapter. Nearby, the Kariba Dam generates the kind of clean electricity that can bring zero-emission mobility closer to reality. The link was hard to miss: renewable power, regional corridors, electric vehicles and the movement of people and goods across borders.
That is what made Zambia so important to Road to Africa.
The Zambia leg showed how close the pieces of the transition already are: copper, hydropower, technical training, long-distance corridors and a growing mobility ecosystem.
From the early morning crossing at Nakonde to the Zambezi River, Zambia gave the expedition a clear view of what electric mobility will need to scale: reliable power, practical infrastructure, local expertise, strong institutions and people willing to make the system work.
That is the story of the Zambia leg.
