🇰🇪🛵 Fancy a spin on one of Kenya’s new electric motorbikes?

In Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, riders are being encouraged to ditch their old motorbikes for a battery powered version.

Not only are they more affordable, but they’re also better for the environment as they use rechargeable batteries.

Courier Joseph has been testing one out.

Do you own an e-bike? If not, would you consider buying one?

#bbc #bbcafrica #BBCNews #africannews #peoplefixingtheworld #ebike

Kenya’s ‘swap and go’ electric motorbikes

Kenya’s motorbike riders are getting eco-friendly alternatives thanks to a new generation of electric vehicles and companies that offer ‘swap and go’ battery rental. Here’s how it works.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN9UghVdi2o

Electric motorcycles are driving the future of sustainable mobility in Africa as an affordable & practical vehicle option

Published on September 23, 2022

From four wheels to two, or even three-the pursuit of cost-effective transportation is accelerating the adoption of electric bikes in Africa as gas prices soar.

Analysis shows that e-bikes, with their considerable cost advantages, are spreading much faster than other electric vehicles on the continent, with e-commerce and delivery services driving market penetration. Light, battery-powered models of transportation are becoming very popular in Africa’s big cities, where the number of people who need to get to work every day is growing quickly.

Kenya has become a hotspot of e-bike growth after several start-ups chose to set up shop in the country’s capital.

In February 2021, Kenya-based ARC Ride launched an electric motorcycle-based service for Uber Eats deliveries in Nairobi. ARC Ride is now on course to grow its fleet to more than 2,000 electric eBikes and electric three-wheelers (Tuk Tuks) to ply different routes in Nairobi by the end of 2022.

ARC is also building its charging network to facilitate in-city charging of e-bikes on its network. The service also wants to expand into other African markets after its e-mobility services were well received in Kenya.

Meanwhile, another 3,000 Kenyan-designed-and-built electric bikes are expected to hit the streets of Kenya and other African cities following a strategic partnership between global ride-hailing firm Uber and a Swedish-Kenyan firm, Opibus, now known as Roam.

Albin Wilson, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer at Roam, told bird that with the adoption of electric transportation, Africa can significantly slash local emissions.

“We feel like we shouldn’t get Africa stuck in the old ways of the west. Africa has the possibility now to leapfrog into new technology and start correctly from the beginning, by not weighting historical mistakes that include a lot of fossil fuel vehicles,” he said.

Roam said that it is counting on Uber’s presence in African markets to speed up the widespread use of electric cars on the continent.

“We’re seeing a huge demand for locally-designed electric motorcycles on the African continent, and by working with Uber we’ve now been able to prove the feasibility for large-scale deployment. Next year we’re scaling up our production to meet the market demand, both in Kenya and in the region,” explained Mikael Gånge, Co-Founder and Chief Sales Officer of Roam.

Motorcycles, pedelecs, scooters, and other battery-powered two- or three-wheeled bikes with an electric motor for propulsion are examples of e-bikes. Some can be partially pedalled or fully electrically propelled, depending on their configuration, and are seen as a tool to help reduce the carbon footprints from daily commutes.

Electric motorcycles in Africa have 40% lower per-mile fuel and maintenance costs than their fossil-fuel counterparts.

The United National Environment Program (UNEP), which sees e-bikes as a cheaper and healthier mode of transportation for African cities, is funding e-bike projects in several African countries.

According to Global Fleet (GF), the UN agency projects sales of both electric and traditional two- and three-wheeler motorcycles to jump 50 per cent by 2050. In Kenya alone, UNEP estimates that motorcycles will triple to five million this decade, driven by services like ARC.

UNEP’s Emob calculator shows that a global shift to electric motorcycles could prevent 11 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, more than double the annual energy-related emissions in the United States of America, from being released into the atmosphere.

Globally, the electric bike market size was valued at US$ 45.75 billion in 2021 and is forecast to reach US$ 109.53 billion by 2030-a growth of some 10 per cent per annum-while Astute Analytica figures show the Middle East and Africa eBike market was valued at USD 822.22 million in 2021 and is projected to reach US$ 1.7 billion by 2029. Lithium-Ion accounts for the largest battery type segment in the respective market because these batteries are smaller in size and long-lasting.

In November 2021, Africa’s e-commerce giant, Jumia, said it had begun replacing “hundreds” of the fuel-based delivery motorbikes used by its riders through a partnership with a Kenyan start-up, eBee Africa.

Jumia said that switching to E-bikes was in line with the company’s efforts to be an environmentally friendly business.

“This pilot with eBee is the beginning of a conscious push across Africa into EVs. We hope we can play a part, as early adopters, in speeding up the penetration of the industry in Africa, “said Jumia Services Country Manager, Ankur Agarwal.

According to Global Fleet, the governments of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Madagascar, and Seychelles are cooperating to spearhead the region’s transition to e-mobility. In East Africa alone, there are more than 20 start-ups and companies that sell and make electric motorcycles and three-wheelers.

“While these vehicle types are not yet as popular in Africa as they are in Asia—where the proximity of and joint ventures with China are fuelling the market—this may soon change,” GE notes.

In Rwanda, startup Ampersand plans to scale up the number of electric motorcycles from its current fleet of 56 drivers on the country’s roads to several thousand and also grow in the Kenyan market by the end of 2022, as it eyes the potential to electrify the around 5 million fuel-powered motorcycles in East Africa.

Another Kenyan startup, Ecobodaa, with a similar business model to Ampersand, began the production of its electric bike brand in November as it ramps up the roll-out of battery swap stations across the country. Ecobodaa is betting on a rent-to-own business model to boost uptake.

While there is plenty of buzz around e-mobility in East African countries, East Africa is hardly the only region to experience a rapid increase in the e-bike market.

Bonafide Research’s South Africa Electric Bicycle Market Overview, 2027, shows the market will expand significantly in the forecast period as the pursuit of healthy lifestyles, fitness trends, and recreational activities drive sales.

In West Africa, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Power in April unveiled 10 electric-powered motorcycles manufactured by MAX Nigeria under its Electric Vehicle Opportunities in rural and peri-urban communities in Nigeria. Germany and the EU, which are part of the project, hope significant adoption of the eBikes will follow.

The African market is also attracting investors from outside of Africa. The most recent ones came from Asia.

In July last year, Indian EV maker, One Electric, announced the start of deliveries for its motorcycle brand, Kridn, in Kenya, with plans to expand to four more African countries in 2022.

Global Fleet notes that more companies are also taking notice of Africa’s EV potential, including Mellowcabs, based in Stellenbosch, South Africa, which operates 60 light-duty electric delivery vehicles in Botswana and Namibia, as well as South Africa.

“Japan’s Yamaha Corporation took part in funding for electric motorcycle delivery company MAX.NG. The company is on track to launch 1,000 EVs in Nigeria by the end of 2021,” its analysis shows in part.

Roam opens large electric motorcycle plant in Kenya

Mar 10, 2023

Swedish-Kenyan company Roam will produce over 50,000 electric motorbikes a year at a new factory in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. The company considers the 10,000 sqm facility, Roam Park, Africa’s largest such plant. It also forms Roam’s new HQ and battery lab.

It is not the first time we hear of Roam. The company was formerly OpiBus and announced a deal over electric buses made in Africa in the summer of last year. Already at the time, Roam had big plans for electric motorcycles as well and secured a deal with the African financing platform M-Kopa.

So now the time has come to actually make (more) of the electric motorbikes called Roam Air.

The new Roam Park in Nairobi has an annual production capacity of upwards of 50,000 motorcycles that Roam says they will reach in a couple of years. Brett Mangel manages the plant as Chief Operations Officer and formerly worked at Tesla.

“Moving ahead with this new production facility represents a significant step forward in bringing sustainable mobility solutions to Kenya,” said Mangel. “With some of the brightest talent, key partners, and access to a good infrastructure and logistics network, Roam is confident that this new location is a step in the right direction.”

The new plant and HQ are off Mombasa Road overlooking the Nairobi National Park. The site houses production, distribution, and storage operations creating a “technology hub,” so Roam—over 150 staff work there in design, engineering and production.

Founded in 2017, Roam set out to become the first company to deliver locally-produced electric motorcycles and buses.

However, today’s statement makes no mention of the buses. When announced in 2022, Roam said the buses would be assembled in collaboration with local partners, while some manufacturing processes would be carried out elsewhere in the region.

At the time, the Roam Rapid bus was specified for up to 90 passengers. The 384-kWh battery pack should enable a range of 360 kilometres. The bus has a top speed of 70 km/h, and the battery can be fully charged in less than two hours via DC charging ports.

Electric motorcycle market in Africa

While waiting to hear what has come from the planned bus rollout in Nairobi, the market potential for e-motorcycles is enormous. With about 200,000 motorbikes registered on Kenyan roads each year, the “boda-boda” industry, as it is called, is big business for small-income earners. Motorbikes are used for taxi services and logistics and remain the main transport for many people.

And Roam is by no means the only company providing electric motorbikes in Kenya; these include Fika Mobility and Alternet Systems (ALYI) with ReVolt motorcycles.

Still, when explaining their focus, Mikael Gånge, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Roam, said they wanted to provide a “compelling environmental and economical solution” for markets untouched by e-mobility.

The starting price for the Roam Air is $1,500, and the electric motorbike can be reserved online.

While the pricing seems steep, Roam signed a large-scale supply agreement with African financing platform M-Kopa for its electric motorbikes last August. The fintech company provides loans and digital financial services to unbanked consumers in Africa. The deal with Roam will allow the company to sell electric motorbikes on credit, lowering customers’ barriers to entry through affordable payment plans.

Update Roam motorcycle charging hub, 31 May 2023

Roam has today put into operation Africa’s first Roam Hub, an electric motorcycle charging station at three key sites all over Nairobi county. The company plans to add more locations to its network over the coming months but did not get more specific.

The Roam Hub is based in a container with fast chargers capable of charging the Roam Air (the company’s electric motorcycle) in less than an hour. Energy comes partly from solar panels and offers swaps of already charged batteries.

There is staff on-site for support and after-sales services, and Roam even installed beds to cater to the country’s busy Boda-Boda riders better.

The Roam Hub charging stations are at Total Energies Lusaka Road, the flagship location, so Roam, Waiyaki Way, and Ngong Road.

“With these three initial service stations, we believe that the Roam Hub will play a key role in providing sustainable transportation solutions for the people of Kenya,” said Habib Lukaya, Energy & Charging Product Manager. “We are confident that this hassle-free charging experience is what will eventually turn the boda boda industry electric.”

libertyfather:
Kenya before us...this are things that suppose to hv been considered before subsidy removal our government just do things without considering the extent of damage it does to the economy ...now tell me when things start getting good as we were made to believe how will a paint of garri returns to 700?

libertyfather:
Kenya before us...this are things that suppose to hv been considered before subsidy removal our government just do things without considering the extent of damage it does to the economy ...now tell me when things start getting good as we were made to believe how will a paint of garri returns to 700?