Kigali-based electric transport energy company, Ampersand, has signed a deal with China-based publicly listed multinational manufacturing firm BYD to transition the African commercial motorbike system into a green economy.
Founded in 2016, Ampersand combines and funds electric motorcycles which are cheaper to purchase and maintain as well as outcompete the five million petrol motorcycle taxis in East Africa.
Since May 2019, the members of the Ampersand fleet have expanded to over 1000, and are predicted to exceed 10,000 by the end of 2024. The firm closed a funding round of US$19.5 million in early January this year.
In the partnership agreement with BYD, Ampersand will buy high-tech battery cells from BYD and assemble about 40,000 electric motorcycles by the end of 2026 and aim to electrify a significant portion of Africa’s 30 million commercial bike-riding.
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This will help Ampersand to quickly increase the number of electric vehicles it owns, as well as expand the current largest charging network in Rwanda and Kenya.
“BYD’s world-leading battery cells and manufacturing scale, combined with Ampersand’s in-depth customer insight and technical product knowledge, will help fast track the electrification of Africa’s commercial motorcycles,” said Josh Whale, Ampersand’s CEO.
“Switching the millions of taxi and delivery two-wheelers to EV energy tech represents one of the world’s best value-for-money decarbonization opportunities. At the same time, this transformation will save millions of hard-working motorcycle riders six hundred dollars each a year, driving clean economic prosperity.” He added.
