In Nairobi and Kigali, successful EV rollouts show the importance of integrating charging infrastructure into existing transport systems. BasiGo, for example, partnered with Kenya Power to build strategically located depots aligned with bus routes. With 90% of Kenya’s electricity coming from renewables, the environmental benefits are clear. However, matching charging infrastructure with transport flows and grid capacity is the real challenge – especially as Kenya aims for 5% of registered vehicles to be electric by 2025.
Meanwhile, CHARGE in South Africa has built the country’s first off-grid charging station in Wolmaransstad, powered by on-site solar energy. It’s part of a planned network of 120 solar charging stations along major highways. For EV fleets to have the chance to scale, infrastructure must suit local geography, utilities, and transport systems; not simply copy models from markets from other continents, often with very different energy systems.
High upfront EV costs remain a major adoption roadblock. Innovators are responding by unbundling vehicle costs to create new financing models. Ampersand, for example, leases batteries to riders, enabling daily swaps and affordable operations. With around 4,000 electric motorcycles in Rwanda, Ampersand now facilitates over 14,700 battery swaps per day – more than in Nairobi, largely due to Kigali’s hillier terrain and longer travel distances.
Spiro, based in Nairobi, takes this further by offering locally built electric bikes with lease-to-own options and a growing swap network. Spiro’s impact includes 500 million emissions-free kilometres, 20 million battery swaps, and a fleet of 30,000 e-motorcycles across eight African countries. Models like battery-as-a-service and micro-leasing are essential for scaling adoption among low-income users and small fleet operators.
Poor maintenance capacity can quickly derail fleet operations. BasiGo mitigates this with preventive maintenance, daily inspections, and 24/7 roadside support of it’s electric bus network – guaranteeing it’s clients 90% uptime. In contrast, companies that neglect technician training struggle to keep vehicles running.
Data is equally critical. Fleets operated by BasiGo and MAX use telematics to monitor vehicle health, delivery performance, and energy use. MAX integrates data on rider behaviour, diagnostics, and routes to enable predictive maintenance and efficient planning. This kind of real-time, data-driven fleet management isn’t a bonus – it’s a necessity.
Ghana’s Wahu Mobility shows the value of locally tailored vehicle design. By creating e-bikes suited to Ghana’s roads and delivery economy, Wahu has produced affordable, resilient vehicles with plans to scale up to 50,000 units annually. Local design boosts relevance, durability, and adoption.
Wahu is also the first African e-mobility company approved for a carbon credit program, enabling it to sell emissions reductions to Switzerland. Its goal: deploy over 117,000 solar-charged e-bikes by 2030, cutting more than 750,000 tonnes of CO₂. Revenues from carbon credits will expand access to clean transport for gig workers and small businesses across Ghana.
Africa’s first electric fleets are more than pilots – they are the progenitors in laying a roadmap rooted in local insight, innovation, and resilience. For fleet operators, city planners, and investors, the lesson is clear: Africa’s clean transport future won’t necessarily be imported: it will be—at least partially—invented here.
Reference List:
https://www.esi-africa.com/renewable-energy/charge-opens-first-off-grid-ev-charging-station-north-west/
https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/kenya-embraces-electric-buses-to-combat-climate-change-but-rollout-is-bumpy/
https://www.get-invest.eu/story/electric-buses-cut-emissions-and-keep-nairobi-moving/
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/05/01/ampersand-leads-the-charge-as-electric-motorcycle-market-share-surges-in-kigali-rwanda/
https://www.spironet.com/news/spiro-launches-in-cameroon-marking-a-new-era-for-green-mobility-in-central-africa
https://www.sustainable-bus.com/electric-bus/basigo-rwanda-electric-buses-delivery/
https://www.maxdrive.ai/about-us
https://theinnovationspark.com/2025/05/25/wahu-mobility-taps-into-the-global-carbon-credit-market-with-approval-of-swiss-ghana-backed-e-bike-project/
Contact Us
VUKA is the trusted media partner to key professionals, policy makers, suppliers and
manufacturers. We provide unparalleled opportunities for industry-wide connection.