East Africa’s Electric Motorbikes Are Fueling a Carbon-Free Future
Start-ups are supplying the vehicles to the motorbike-taxi drivers who provide the most common form of public transport in many cities.
Electric motorbike company Ampersand operates in Rwanda and has a waitlist of around 7,000 drivers.
Source: Ampersand
When Rwanda’s president said last August that he wanted all of the country’s motorbikes to be electric as soon as possible, Ampersand’s waiting list exploded. The country’s first electric motorbike company now has about 7,000 drivers in line for its vehicles. The problem is it can deliver just 40 bikes by the end of March.
For Josh Whale, Ampersand’s CEO, the demand shows that Africa’s population isn’t content with second-hand trends from affluent countries. People are impatient for the most efficient technology.