BodaBodas Part Deux
BodaBodas Part Deux
Who wins in this potential USD 7.5 bn market?
USD 7.5bn!
It’s always good to start with a chunky number. They work when we are trying to drum up interest in a market racists call the ‘Dark Continent’. We always thought that when it came to a market for E2Ws, there was a sliver of light within the darkness of sub-Saharan Africa.
However, when we started working on the Africa chapter of InsightEV’s upcoming Global Landscape and Future Prospects Report, we realized that this sliver of light had the potential to become a shining beacon of hope for the E2W industry worldwide.
Except the world isn’t exactly participating, as we shall see…
Promises & Lies
Last week, we established that sub-Saharan Africa has between 5m and 7m Motorcycle Taxis (BodaBodas). Each of them should be electrified if the local governments have their way, as long as it doesn’t cost them too much money.
Multiply the above number by USD 1500, the base cost of an African electric motorcycle, and we reach the number at the top.
The actual business value would be many times that. Considering battery swap as a model, each BodaBoda would need 2.5X number of batteries, not X. Then add the business value of battery swap stations, software etc. and we can see this number multiplying.
A McKinsey Centre of Future Mobility-Shell Foundation report forecasts sales of up to 175k/yr electric motorcycles next year (2025). As per McK, this will jump to 750k/yr in 2030 and grow to 4.4m/yr in 2040.
Even with the copious amounts of salt, we take consultants with, this is a lot of electric motorcycles, whichever way one slices the data. It’s dope to power hundreds of PowerPoints at the offices of startups and investors alike.
And things are happening. Investor attention—at least of Green theme funds—is on Africa. Equitane’s (formerly Africa Transformation and Industrialization Fund, the owners of Spiro ) CEO Anish Jain is aiming for an eventual USD 20bn investment in Africa, much of it targeted at green mobility.
We have already started seeing a trickle of funding move to African startups trying to electrify the BodaBodas.
The best thing about this scenario is that no Honda, Bajaj Auto, or Yadea spearheads this movement. It is being led by local start-ups, employing hundreds of locals and benefitting the local economy. Someday, shortly, these homegrowns will start employing thousands of local talent.
Major Players
We estimate over twenty electric motorcycle BodaBodas start-ups in Africa, all operating on similar business models. The core business models involve importing electric motorcycles, mostly as kits. Importing fully built-up units was a popular practice earlier but has declined considerably.
These kits are then assembled within the country of import and mated to the batteries developed by the startup.
During the motorcycle's ‘sale, ' the batteries are leased to the user, who pays a fee based on the number of battery swaps they make. In many cases, even the motorcycle is leased.
This is a business where the operator’s ‘edge’ depends on their scale of operation and how fast they can expand.
The major players are:
Roam
Roam was conceptualised in Sweden and operates in Kenya. The company has collectively raised USD 31.5m from investors, including California-based At One Ventures, Kenya-based Equator Africa, and US International Development Finance Corp. leading the investments.
Roam is one of the early entrants to the scene, starting development in 2017. They have developed their motorcycle—Roam Air—and battery.
It is not state-of-the-art, but the Air is a 149 kg motorcycle carrying 6.48 kWh of batteries in two portable packs of 3.24 kWh weighing 20 kg each. Power comes from a mid-drive motor that delivers 58 Nm at the shaft. The company claims a 150 km range with both batteries installed and a 90 kph top speed.
One key relationship Roam has built is with M-Kopa, the popular fintech platform in Africa, for asset financing. Operators can lease the Air through M-Kopa; there are no purchase options. Roam has been busy stitching its front-end partnerships with fleet operators like Bolt.
Roam's motorcycle business is not its only business. It is part of a solution in which Roam offers software to operate a BodaBoda network and charging/swapping stations.
Like everything else, Roam motorcycles are imported from China as kits, though the company claims to have started an assembly plant in Kenya in 2023.
Spiro
The other prominent E2W start-up in Africa is Spiro. They are based in Benin, Africa, though they started in India in 2019 as M Auto Electric. Their first business was ICE to EV 3W conversions, with exports to Africa.
In May 2022, the company was acquired by the Abu Dhabi-based Africa Transformation and Industrialisation Fund (ATIF; now renamed Equitane). In 2022, it rebranded to Spiro and introduced the Spiro Commando motorcycle.
The business model is similar to most other players - motorcycles for sale with batteries as a subscription. Batteries can be exchanged through the battery-swapping network - Spiro Swap-N-Go.
Spiro has raised USD 80m in funding to date. The acquisition by ATIF was followed by debt funding from Societe Generale and GuarantCo in August 2023. The company is expanding across Africa, with operations in Benin, Togo, Uganda, and Rwanda.
Spiro’s technology and purchasing offices are in India, while contract manufacturing is done by Horwin in China, though Spiro plans to localise. It has an agreement with Horwin, so while the first motorcycle was co-developed, we don’t see Spiro bothering much with product development beyond local planning. Horwin is helping Spiro set up multiple assembly plants in Africa.
Spiro’s Commando is a rugged commuter motorcycle powered by a 6.5kW (peak) hub motor. Spiro claims an 80kph top speed. There are two pack options: 2 x 2.0kWh (100km range) or 1 x 3.4kWh (80km range).
Energy comes from two battery packs, each of 2.0 kWh or one large pack of 3.4 kWh. With the larger battery pack, the range is around 80 km. It increases to about 100 km with two small packs deployed.
Ampersand
Ampersand has been around since 2016 and has ‘developed’ an electric motorcycle, a battery, and a swapping network. Current operations stretch across Rwanda and Kenya.
The above ‘developed’ means that Ampersand went to TAILG to meet their motorcycle requirements and took their FengYing motorcycle. The original FengYing package has been comprehensively changed—the hub motor has been replaced by a mid-drive motor, and the lead-acid battery has been replaced with a Li-ion swappable battery.
The company already has a fleet of about 1500 motorcycles and plans to grow this to 10000 motorcycles by the end of this year.
Ampersand has raised around USD34.4m in funding, including a USD 1.5 million grant from Rwanada’s green fund - Fund for the Environment and Climate Change (FONERWA). The Shell Foundation has also provided a grant to the company.
Kofa
Kofa is special in that while it has the same battery-swapping model as everyone else, it asked the Chinese factory TAILG to design a motorcycle around the Kofa batteries. The result is the Jidi, the best-looking of all ‘African’ electric motorcycles.
Kofa and TAILG co-developed the Jidi to run on Kofa batteries. Two of the Kofa Kore2 batteries, which are 2.3 kWh and weigh 16 kg each, can be installed inside the motorcycle.
The Jidi is capable of 85 kph with its 3.5 kW mid-drive motor. It is a heavy-duty motorcycle that can carry 223 kg payload. The range with two batteries is claimed to be 100 km.
Currently, TAILG ships the kits from China, and the final assembly is done in Ghana.
Kofa started operations in 2021 in Accra, the capital of Ghana, and has funding from Mercy Corps Ventures, the Shell Foundation, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK Government, and some green funds.
Rwanda Electric Motors (REM)
Rwanda Electric Motors (REM) is another operator based in Kigali, Rwanda. The company has been operating since 2019 and has had limited reach till now, with only four swapping stations in Kigali and 300 motorcycles deployed. Like Ampersand, they also use the modified TAILG Fengying-based motorcycles.
However, the REM EMB2000 is a very light modification of the Fengying as it retains a hub motor.
Arc Ride
Arc Ride is a Nairobi, Kenya-based operator, again with a battery-swapping model. The company is part of Arc Group Global, an investment firm based in London with operations in Rwanda and Kenya.
The company claims to have deployed 76 battery-swapping cabinets in Nairobi.
Arc Ride’s vehicle of choice is an electric moped named Corbett, sourced from India-based BNC Motors.
ARC is backed by Arc Group Global, an investment firm based in London with operations in Rwanda and Kenya.
TAILG
The surprising winner in Africa is the Chinese factory brand TAILG. As part of its global push, the Chinese brand has been selling its low-cost electric two-wheelers and cargo three-wheelers in Africa for some time. In that sense, it made a bigger push in Africa than other Chinese brands like Yadea, Niu or Dayi. In some countries, TAILG products are accessible and recognisable to the masses.
So, when Chinese start-ups needed a vehicle to install batteries, the TAILG FengYing motorcycle was a natural fit. It was basic, with a hint of style, and had been around for a long time (tested!). Not everything in the FengYing was appealing, so most African players like Ampersand swapped the hub motor for a more powerful mid-drive motor. Also, the stock FengYing comes with fixed lead-acid batteries; African players have replaced them with their self-designed removable batteries. These batteries have also been larger, so TAILG has helped design sub-frames within the FengYing to carry the motorcycle, comprehensively changing the frame design.
TAILG's presence and recognition on the continent mean it has become a natural partner for African startups' future product development needs. So, when Ghana-based Kofa wanted a different motorcycle, they partnered with TAILG to develop the Jidi.
Horwin
Another Chinese player making inroads in China is Horwin. The company has entered into a joint venture with Spiro, the biggest and fastest-growing player in the continent. Horwin is Spiro’s manufacturing partner, and the Commando motorcycle is currently manufactured in China, with final assembly in Africa. Horwin is also setting up multiple assembly plants in Africa with Spiro to assemble motorcycles, each with a capacity of 100,000 units per plant.
The JV means that Horwin will develop future Spiro products, and Spiro will also retail Horwin products in Africa.
African Swapping Model (ASM) vs Gogoro
The African model is like the Gogoro model in that it separates the battery from the vehicle. That is where the similarities end.
Gogoro uses smart batteries in an unmanned smart swapping station. The batteries are made for swapping, with connectors at the bottom. The swapping station is tailored for this purpose, and the batteries slide in slots while the charged ones slide out on their own. All the cabling is at the back to make the station look clean and cool, and it is a study of good industrial design.
Meanwhile, the African model uses portable batteries that are charged on racks. It’s not a smart swapping station but a manually operated, functional one. Things are made for ruggedness, longevity, and to generate employment.
This also brings us to the batteries
This is the Gogoro battery.
Then this here is the Honda MPP
Also, here is the Kymco Ionex battery pack.
See the similarities?
They look adorable.
Across the world, swappable batteries are made to look good. They are mostly cuboidal shapes with rounded edges. They look good on the table during a photoshoot, in the swapping station, and in someone's hands. They look good everywhere as they proudly carry the brand name.
Also, they are designed to weigh less. We know people—especially in geographies where the average height falls to 5’3”—can’t lift beyond 10-11kg, so swappable batteries are kept under that range.
In comparison, this is the Ampersand battery.
This here is the Spiro pack.
And the Roam battery pack here.
All of them look very…industrial. This is utilitarian stuff that gets the job done but is not made to look attractive. We have no idea if they are IP67, though we hope so.
The connectors are not at the bottom. The sides are preferred.
The casing looks like a metal box hammered down by hand.
Then there is the weight—20 kg batteries are regular. It works because when the BodaBodas rider reaches a swapping station, the station operator is there to help with disconnections, removal, placement, and reconnection.
The difference in battery design comes from the usage demand—BodaBodas undoubtedly need a rugged battery that can withstand rough usage and terrain. Gogoro and Honda MPP are used in vehicles made for urban usage.
The same difference also leads to a difference in swapping station design. Gogoro swapping stations are slick, intelligent, and unmanned, where a depleted battery insertion results in a charged battery popping out.
In comparison, African startups have swapping stations, which are more like bulk charging stations. They are manned, and a depleted battery is ‘submitted’ to the attendant who helps change to a fresh battery pack.
That does not mean every start-up will follow the same path. Ghana-based Kofa is already making changes.
These are the Kofa Kore-1 batteries, weighing 14 kg and packing 1.86 kWh. They look nice, but the connector is at the top through a visible cable. Manual intervention is needed to connect and disconnect the cables.
However, with the rollout of the Kore-2, Kofa will move to a smart swapping station. The Kore-2 is 2 kg heavier and packs 20 percent more energy. However, now the connectors are at the bottom and swapping batteries is faster.
What Does the Future Hold?
At the end of this article, we should be excited about the tremendous potential that sub-Saharan Africa holds for electric mobility. That number - USD 7.5bn - holds a huge promise for start-ups and investors.
But we see challenges.
First, African governments are enthusiastic about electric motorcycles, but these countries are fiscally constrained. We may see a lot of lip service and temporary tax cuts, but not many direct incentives for electric motorcycle manufacturers or buyers.
Then there is the nature of the business - it’s an energy business, not a motorcycle business. Energy businesses are commodity businesses, which are less about innovation and more about volumes and executions. There are no real barriers to entry, the only ones being the relationships these startups are creating with Fintech partners like M-Kopa or the recognition they get from their target customers - the BodaBodas.
That may not be enough in a business that relies on economies of scale to deliver value.
This post borrows heavily from the detailed chapter on Africa from InsightEV’s upcoming Global Landscape and Future Prospects Report, a comprehensive analysis of the global E2W and urban Mobility industry.
Meanwhile, Last Week…
Of all the Japanese manufacturers, Suzuki is the most laggard in electric mobility. Like the others, it is part of Gachaco, so it is supposed to use the Honda MPP in upcoming electric two-wheelers, though we have yet to see any electric Suzukis being unveiled.
Last year, the brand announced that it would have eight electric scooters/motorcycles in the portfolio by 2030, and the first one should be launched in 2024.
Now CycleWorld reports that Suzuki is working on an electric motocrosser and has filed patent drawings. The drawings indicate an electric powertrain bolted to Suzuki’s RM-Z motocrosser frame.
Suzuki’s compatriot Honda already has the CR Electric motocrosser competing in the All-Japan Motocross Championship, although the consumer version has yet to appear.
We maintain that motocrossers are one of the best motorcycle formats for electrification. Finally, the Japanese are waking up to the impending electrification in this category. Yamaha also has something in the works.