Zimbabwean vehicle maker partners US-based company

A LOCAL vehicle manufacturer, Hende Moto, has secured a partnership with a United States-based Max Sound Corp, which will see the two providing high-definition audio technology on all the company's vehicles.

The proprietary audio software called MAX-D, which provides high-definition sound, is owned by the American firm. The Kwekwe-based Hende Moto plant produces three-wheeler vehicles and imports 75 percent pre-assembled vehicles for finishing locally.

Through their partnership with Max Sound Corp, it is hoped that the deal would also see Hende Moto securing investors for the local hybrid vehicles plant.

Speaking by telephone from his San Diego, California base, Max Sound Corp chief executive officer Mr Greg Halpern said: "We have the worldwide rights for high-definition audio, an audio where somebody when driving will have good music sound and our technology provides that to every vehicle they are going to be producing.

"Every audio they are going to have available will be utilising our technology."

He said through their partnership his organisation would also help Hende Moto secure a multi-billion investment for the hybrid vehicle project at its Kwekwe plant.

"We are bringing them partners that can help fund the development of the vehicles and that could be an amazing economy of scale for Zimbabwe," said Mr Halpern.

He said they were developing a partnership which in the next three to six months would improve significantly the production of the vehicles and technologies.

For example, Mr Halpern said Hende Moto has the technology to use not only five various forms of hybrid technologies but also to use radio frequency, which is a big breakthrough. He said the investment on their partnership technology was initially worth US$1 million over a few years but could be an upward of US$10 million.

"It's dependent on how much acceptance and how much economies of scale it's developed," said Mr Halpern.

"We certainly want to participate at the African Continental Free Trade Area so that we tap into that market through Zimbabwe being a production hub for hybrid vehicles. "This is valuable to Zimbabwe and with the right support, that could be tremendous to the world."

Hende Moto owner Dr Devine Mafa has said that plans were underway to set up a hybrid car manufacturing and assembly plant in Kwekwe. Hybrid cars use both conventional fuel (petrol/diesel) and electric power. The vehicles are known to be environmentally friendly and cost efficient as they reduce fuel costs and limit toxic gases.

"As Hende Moto, we are moving towards the production of electric vehicles so that Zimbabwe and Africa at large are not left behind in terms of offering technology and this also precludes the dumping of cheap imported goods like vehicles by the developed world to Africa.

"The world is moving towards the elimination of fuel-powered vehicles by 2035 and as Africa we should not lag behind and be used as a dumping ground because such vehicles pollute the environment and destroy the ozone layer," he said.

By 2040, most European countries want all the cars on their roads to be fully electric so as to reduce carbon emission.

According to experts, 54 percent of new global car sales and 33 percent of the world's car fleet will be electric by 2040. Italy has set 2024 to be the year by which all their cars will be electric.

Norway's deadline is a year later in 2025.

Already, China has spent more than US$3 billion on promoting electric vehicles. The trend around the world is to move towards a completely electrified fleet.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is hoped that electric cars will eliminate dependency on imported and sometimes expensive fuel. They will also do away with the need for fuel subsidies, which are proving unsustainable for many governments, Zimbabwe included.