Photo: ARC Ride
An electric motorcycle revolution is unfolding in Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy. Battery swapping stations around Nairobi allow electric motorcyclists to exchange their low battery for a fully-charged one. Ecobodaa, which has 50 test electric motorcyles on the road now, plans to have 1,000 by the end of 2023. The bikes sell for about $1,500 each - roughly the same price as combustion-engine bikes - because the battery is not included in the cost. After the initial purchase, the electric motorcyle is cheaper to run than gas-powered ones. Ecobodaa is one of several Nairobi-based electric motorcycle startups. Uganda and Tanzania also have robust and renewables-heavy grids that could support electric mobility, said Jo Hurst-Croft, founder of ARC Ride, another startup which is putting over 200 swapping stations in Nairobi and expanding to Dar es Salaam and Kampala.
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