# Battery swapping spurs Kenya’s electric motorbike drive Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2022-12-26 Category: NEWS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news Meta Title: Kenya's Electric Motorcycle Revolution: Battery Meta Description: Discover how Kenya is leading the region in zero-emission electric mobility with sturdy battery swapping stations for electric motorcyclists in Nairobi. URL: https://financedigest.com/battery-swapping-spurs-kenyas-electric-motorbike-drivehtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/2022-12-26t081545z1lynxmpeibp03frtroptp4climate-change-africa-transport-1736814681540-compressed.jpg) By Ayenat Mersie NAIROBI (Reuters) – Over recent months, sets of sturdy, brightly-branded battery swapping stations have cropped up around Kenya’s capital Nairobi, allowing electric motorcyclists to exchange their low battery for a fully-charged one. It is a sign of an electric motorcyle revolution starting to unfold in Kenya where combustion-engine motorbikes are a cheaper and quicker way to get around than cars but environmental experts say are 10 times more polluting. East Africa’s [biggest economy](https://www.financedigest.com/biggest-economy-in-the-world.html "Biggest Economy in the World") is betting on electric-powered motorcycles, its renewables-heavy power supply and position as a technology and start-up hub to lead the region’s shift to zero-emission electric mobility. The battery swapping system not only [saves time – essential for Kenya’s more than one million motorcyclists, most of whom use the bikes commercially – but also saves buyers money](https://www.financedigest.com/6-tips-to-save-money-on-your-next-used-car-purchase.html "6 Tips to Save Money on Your Next Used Car Purchase") as many sellers follow a model in which they retain ownership of the battery, the bike’s most expensive part. It doesn’t make a lot of economic and [business sense for them to acquire a battery…which would almost double the cost](https://www.financedigest.com/cutting-business-costs-pros-of-using-commercial-heat-pumps-in-2016.html "Cutting business costs: Pros of using commercial heat pumps in 2016") of the bike,” said Steve Juma, the co-founder of electric bike company Ecobodaa. Ecobodaa has 50 test electric motorcyles on the road now and plans to have 1,000 by the end of 2023 which it [sells for about $1,500 each – roughly the same price](https://www.financedigest.com/3-tricks-to-get-a-better-price-when-selling-your-car.html "3 Tricks To Get a Better Price When Selling Your Car") as combustion-engine bikes thanks to the exclusion of the battery from the cost. After the initial purchase, the electric motorcyle – designed to be sturdy enough to traverse [rocky roads](https://www.financedigest.com/unipers-rocky-road-to-german-nationalisation.html "Uniper’s rocky road to German nationalisation") – is cheaper to run than petrol-guzzling ones. “With the normal bike, I will use fuel worth approximately 700-800 Kenyan shillings ($5.70-$6.51) each day, but with this bike, when I swap a battery I get one battery at 300 shillings,” said Kevin Macharia, 28, who transports goods and passengers around Nairobi. [EXPANSION PLANS](https://www.financedigest.com/copa90-owner-bigballs-media-lands-stellar-global-business-leaders-to-drive-ambitious-expansion-plans.html "Copa90 owner Bigballs Media lands stellar global business leaders to drive ambitious expansion plans") Ecobodaa is just one of several Nairobi-based electric motorcycle startups working to prove themselves in Kenya before eventually expanding in [East Africa](https://www.financedigest.com/eseye-collaborates-with-solarnow-and-amazon-web-services-to-help-bring-solar-energy-to-remote-regions-in-east-africa.html "Eseye Collaborates with SolarNow and Amazon Web Services to Help Bring Solar Energy to Remote Regions in East Africa"). Kenya’s consistent [power supply which is about 95% renewable led by hydroelectricity and has a widespread network](https://www.financedigest.com/emergency-call-services-telcos-urge-eu-to-protect-telecoms-networks-from-power-cuts.html "Emergency call services, telcos urge EU to protect telecoms networks from power cuts"), was a major support for growth of the sector, said Jo Hurst-Croft, founder of ARC Ride, another Nairobi-based electric motorcycle startup. The country’s power utility estimates it generates enough to charge two [million electric](https://www.financedigest.com/stellantis-to-invest-130-million-euros-in-german-plant-for-new-opel-electric-car.html "Stellantis to invest 130 million euros in German plant for new Opel electric car") motorcycles a day: electricity access in the country is over 75%, according to the World Bank, and even higher in Nairobi. Uganda and Tanzania also have robust and renewables-heavy [grids that could support electric](https://www.financedigest.com/grid-operator-urges-ukrainians-to-save-electricity-as-temperatures-drop.html "Grid operator urges Ukrainians to save electricity as temperatures drop") mobility, said Hurst-Croft. “We’re putting over 200 swapping stations in Nairobi and expanding to Dar es Salaam and Kampala,” said Hurst-Croft. ($1 = 122.9000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---