A man rides an electric motorcycle from Ampersand on a test drive in Nairobi, Kenya on January 23, 2023. Electric motorcycles are gaining traction in Kenya as private sector-led companies rush to set up charging points and battery changing stations to speed up. the growth of cleaner transport and put the East African nation on the path to cooler air and lower emissions. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – On the crowded streets of Nairobi, Cyrus Kariuki is one of a growing number of cyclists who zip through traffic on an electric motorcycle, reaping the benefits of cheaper transportation, cleaner air and limiting global warming emissions in the process. .
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“Each month there is no need for an oil change, engine checks and other maintenance costs to be expensive,” Kariuki said.
Electric motorcycles are gaining traction in Kenya as private-sector-led companies rush to set up charging points and battery swap stations to accelerate the growth of cleaner transport and put the African nation eastern on the way to cooler air and lower emissions.
But startups say more public support and better government schemes can help boost the industry further.
Ampersand, an electric mobility company based in Africa, began operations in Kenya in May 2022. The company currently operates seven battery exchange stations spread across the country’s capital and has so far attracted 60 customers. Ian Mbote, an automotive engineer and the startup’s expansion leader, says uptake has been relatively slow.
“We need friendly policies, taxes, regulations and incentives that drive market entry,” Mbote said, adding that the government’s favorable tariffs in Rwanda accelerated the growth of its electric transport. Ampersand plans to sell 500 more electric bikes by the end of the year.
The companies say the savings of switching to electricity and using a battery swapping system, rather than charging for several hours, are a key selling point for customers.
“Our batteries cost $1.48 to change a full battery that provides mobility of about 90 to 110 kilometers (56 to 68 miles) compared to $1.44 for fuel that only guarantees a 30 to 40 kilometers (19 to 25 miles) on a motorcycle,” Mbote said.
Kim Chepkoit, the founder of electric motorcycle manufacturing company Ecobodaa Mobility, added that “electricity costs will be more predictable and cushioned from fluctuating fuel prices.”
Ecobodaa’s flagship product is a motorcycle with two batteries, which makes it capable of covering 160 kilometers (100 miles) on one battery charge. The motorcycle costs 185,000 shillings ($1,400) without a battery, about the same as a conventional motorcycle.
Other cleaner transport initiatives in the country include the Sustainable Energy for Africa programme, which runs a hub for 30 solar electric vehicle charging stations and battery swapping in Kenya’s western region.
Electric mobility has a promising future on the continent, but “requires systemic infrastructural, social and political changes that will neither happen overnight nor be immune to faltering,” said Carol Mungo, a researcher at the Institute of Stockholm Environment.
The move to electric transport “will require African governments to rethink how they deliver current services, such as reliable and affordable electricity,” while also putting in place appropriate measures to address electrical waste and disposal, Mungo added .
Some financial incentives are on the way.
In early February, the African Development Bank announced that it will provide $1 million in grants for technical assistance to Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and South Africa.
The African continent records one million premature deaths annually due to air pollution, according to a soon-to-be-published study by the United Nations Environment Agency, the Stockholm Environment Institute and the African Union. by The Associated Press.
Studies by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition say that a reduction in short-lived climate pollutants can reduce the amount of warming “by up to 0.6 degrees Celsius (1.1 degrees Fahrenheit), while avoiding 2.4 millions of premature deaths worldwide from annual outdoor air pollution.”
But Mungo cautioned that cleaning up transportation is just one step of many toward better air quality.
“There are many emission factors in cities,” he said. “E-mobility, however, looks broadly beyond the transport sector to infrastructure development and urban planning, which may ultimately solve complex pollution problems in Africa.”
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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage is supported by several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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