It appears that more Kenyans are embracing the electric bike according to data from one of the ev startups Spiro Kenya.
The company has sold over 1,500 units of their electric bikes in the past 12 months alone. The sales mainly target public transport boda boda and delivery riders.
In an interview with The Kenyan Wallstreet, Spiro Kenya’s Deputy Country Head Raymond Kitunga observed that more people were becoming enlightened about EVs and were realising the benefits of owning one.
If you look at the general behavior of the market, and the numbers, more and more people are becoming more enlightened about EVs. People are realising that this is a fantastic vehicle to own because it is affordable in the long run, than the normal internal-combustion engine.
~ Raymond Kitunga Deputy Country Head, Spiro Kenya
Move to other cities
While electric bikes are concentrated in Nairobi where other companies such as Roam and Ampersand also have shops, Spiro Kenya is now expanding to Eldoret, Kenya’s newest city.
Eldoret is the fifth most populous urban centre with a population of over 500,000 people (2019 census report) and is one of Kenya’s fastest growing industrial centres.
Spiro currently operates in Kenya, Togo, Benin, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Uganda and describes itself as the biggest EV company in Africa. The company was named Time 100 Influential Company 2024.
However, like other EV startups, the company has to grapple with the hindering upfront high costs of owning an electric bike for most consumers.
Most startups have adopted the loan models where customers repay either daily, weekly or monthly. The companies however own the batteries, and the rider just swaps a depleted one with a charged one at a cost of KES 290 (for Spiro riders).
Another challenge that ev manufacturers are always grappling with is the distance covered for every charge.
Spiro Kenya bikes currently give you a mileage of 75 – 80km, making the bikes to be more convenient for city environs compared to rural settings.
