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,”
