The Jospong Group of Companies has reached a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with American firm ZeroNox, a leading provider of sustainable, off-highway vehicle electrification, to advance clean technology solutions in Africa.

Through the agreement, 1,000 refuse trucks from the Jospong Group subsidiary, Zoomlion, will be converted from Diesel engines to electric power utilizing the ZeroNox Electric Powertrain Platform (“ZEPP”), a prototype of the all-electric refuse truck -- the first of its kind and a significant achievement in the refuse truck electrification project.

The electrification of Jospong’s 1,000-refuse truck fleet by ZeroNox is projected to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere by 400,000 metric tons over five years, the equivalent of 18 million mature trees. Estimated savings are US$323 million over five years, and as a result Jospong will generate a return on their investment in less than three years.

The MoU also allows Jospong to distribute ZeroNox products throughout Ghana and other African countries and to combine their expertise, efforts, knowledge of the market and experience to establish a business partnership or joint venture (JV) in Ghana.

The unveiling of the world’s largest fleet retrofit electrification project and the signing of the joint venture agreement between ZeroNox and the Jospong Group mark significant milestones for both companies and leverage Ghana as the gateway to electric vehicle and related technology distribution throughout Africa.

Leaders from the U.S. legislature and Ghanaian government joined ZeroNox Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Vonn Christenson, Co-Founder and President Robert Cruess, COO Jason Eggett, and CTO Jacob Gotberg in commemorating this step toward a cleaner future for all, made possible by ZeroNox’s industry-disrupting technology.