Malawi Police receive donated electric patrol car and motorbike in bid to cut costs and boost crime response times

Tsuyoshi Motors Limited has handed over an electric patrol vehicle and an electric motorcycle to Central Region Police, in a corporate donation the company says forms part of its wider social responsibility commitments.

Central Region Police Commissioner Mabvuto M’bobo hailed the donation as a significant milestone for the Police Service, describing electric motorcycles as both a sustainable and cost-effective mode of transport well suited to modern policing needs.

‘This will improve police mobility and response time to crime scenes, particularly in congested areas,’ M’bobo said, highlighting the potential for the new vehicles to make a tangible difference in how quickly officers can reach incidents across busy urban districts.

Tsuyoshi Motors managing director Trevor William Kandoje said the donation was made in direct response to well-documented challenges facing the police service, including soaring fuel costs, frequent vehicle breakdowns, and persistently limited resources available for repairs and maintenance.

Kandoje argued that switching to electric vehicles could deliver significant long-term savings for cash-strapped police units, claiming that charging costs work out roughly 70 percent cheaper per kilometre compared to conventional fuel – a saving he suggested could prove transformative for an institution regularly hampered by tight budgets.

He also pointed to the mechanical simplicity of electric vehicles as a further advantage, noting they contain fewer moving parts prone to breakdown, alongside the added environmental benefit of zero tailpipe emissions.

Kandoje went on to signal his company’s ambitions extend well beyond this single donation, confirming Tsuyoshi Motors was ready to work directly with government to expand the use of electric vehicles across public service fleets more broadly.

He closed with a broader appeal to ordinary Malawians, urging citizens to embrace emerging technologies capable of reducing both financial costs and environmental impact – a message likely to resonate given the country’s chronic foreign exchange shortages, which have repeatedly disrupted fuel supplies and pushed up import costs in recent months.