Spiro (Formerly known as MAUTO) plans to plans to significantly scale up operations by rolling out 140,000 electric motorcycles in Uganda over the next five years.
The company has already put 4,500 electric motorcycles on the road in Rwanda, Benin, and Togo.
The motorcycles will be given out free-of-charge, with Spiro expecting to earn revenue on the charging and battery swapping side of its operations. The new bikes will be targeted towards motorcycle taxi operators.
Bike Transportation In Uganda
Motorcycles and especially motorcycle taxies, commonly referred to as “boda-bodas” in Uganda.
Boda bodas are motorcycle taxis that provide fast and convenient transportation in Uganda, especially in the capital city of Kampala. They originated as bicycle taxis in the border regions in the 1960s and later switched to motorcycles due to lower costs and higher demand.
Boda bodas are popular among commuters who want to avoid traffic jams and reach their destinations quickly. They have become an integral part of Uganda’s urban culture and economy.
The Numbers
Spiro received $50 million in funding from the African Fund for Transformation and Industrialization (ATIF) and will provide 140,000 locally-built electric motorcycles and 3,000 battery swap stations.
About Spiro
The company currently operates 250 battery swapping stations, which are responsible for more than 130,000 swaps in the countries Spiro has already entered. The 4,500 electric motorcycles using those swapping stations have covered over 22 million kilometers so far.
Spiro also plans to set up an electric motorcycle assembly plant that it says will create 9,000 jobs in the green mobility industry.
Spiro’s motorcycles feature 6.5 kW motors and reach speeds of 80 km/h (50 mph). The range of 90 km (56 miles) per charge is supplemented by the swappable batteries to keep the bikes on the road throughout the day.
What They’re Saying
“Our ability to deploy over 4,500 electric motorcycles in less than a year of operation is evidence of the fact that electric two-wheelers are the future of sustainable mobility in Africa,” says Shegun Adjadi Bakari, CEO of Spiro and partner at the African Fund for Transformation and Industrialization (ATIF).
“In the coming weeks, we will launch our program to substitute conventional motorcycles with electric ones. Drivers in Uganda will be able to trade in their old motorcycles for one of our commercially available models. This is a groundbreaking move in Africa, and we have already implemented this scheme in Benin, Togo, and Rwanda, with a favorable market reaction. We are excited to bring the same approach to Uganda.”
Source: Electrek
