East Africa’s largest economy is betting on electric motorcycles, its renewable-heavy power supply and status as a technology and start-up hub to help the region shift to zero-emission electric mobility.

by ayanat merci

In recent months, sets of robust, brightly branded battery swapping stations have popped up around Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, allowing electric motorcyclists to fully charge their depleted batteries.

This is a sign of a electric motorcycle The revolution is starting in Kenya, where combustion engine motorbikes are way cheaper and faster than cars, but environmental experts say they emit 10 times more pollution.

East Africa’s largest economy The region is betting on electric motorcycles, its renewable-heavy power supply and status as a technology and start-up hub to lead change. zero-emission electric mobility.

The battery swapping system not only saves time – essential for Kenya’s over one million motorcyclists, most of whom use bikes commercially – but also saves buyers money as many sellers follow a model in which they retain ownership of the battery, the most expensive part of the bike.

“It doesn’t make a lot of economic and business sense for them to buy a battery… which would almost double the cost of the bike,” said Steve Juma, co-founder of electric bike company Ecoboda.

Ecoboda has 50 test electric motorcycles on the road now and plans to have 1,000 by the end of 2023, which it sells for about $1,500 each – about the same price as combustion-engine bike Thanks for excluding batteries from the cost.

After the initial purchase, the electric motorcycle – which is designed to be strong enough to ride on rocky roads – is cheaper to run than petrol-powered ones.

“With a normal bike, I would use about 700-800 Kenyan shillings ($5.70-$6.51) worth of fuel every day, but with this bike, when I change the battery I get one for 300 shillings,” said Kevin Macharia, a 28-year-old who transports goods and passengers around Nairobi.

Expansion Plan

Ecoboda is one of several Nairobi-based electric motorcycle startups working to prove itself in Kenya before eventually expanding into East Africa.

Joe Hurst-Croft, founder of ARC Ride, another Nairobi-based electric motorcycle startup, said Kenya’s steady power supply, which is about 95% renewable led by hydropower and has an extensive network, was a big support for the sector’s growth.

The country’s electricity utility is estimated to generate enough electricity to charge two million electric motorcycles per day: according to the World Bank, electricity access in the country is over 75%, and even higher in Nairobi.

Hurst-Croft said Uganda and Tanzania also have strong and renewable-heavy grids that can support electric mobility.

“We are installing over 200 swapping stations in Nairobi and expanding to Dar es Salaam and Kampala,” Hurst-Croft said. ($1 = 122.9000 Kenyan Shillings)

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