November 05, 2024

Rwanda will not register petrol motorbikes for public transport starting in January 2025.

November 05, 2024

In a bold move yesterday, Rwanda's Minister of Infrastructure, Jimmy Gasore, said in an interview with The New Times that Rwanda will not register petrol motorbikes for public transport starting in January 2025. This makes Rwanda the second country in Africa to do so, after Ethiopia introduced an all-ICE vehicle ban in January 2024.

  • Rwanda has approximately 110,000 motorbikes, 70,000 are used as taxis, and 30,000 of these taxis operate in Kigali.

  • Uptake of electric motorcycles remains low with only about 3,500 currently in use. The majority of these are concentrated in Kigali, where the charging infrastructure is more developed.

  • Our take: Rwanda’s phased approach would allow for a smooth transition to electric motorcycles… Read more (2 min)

SIX-EV Limited, an e-mobility company and Nigeria's River State government yesterday signed an MoU to introduce electric three-wheelers and electric buses. At the same time, Nigeria’s National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) visited eMove company,  a leading manufacturer of 2 and 3-wheeler EVs based in Morocco to explore potential partnerships.

  • Nigeria's federal and state governments are all looking into partnerships as they try to catch up with other countries in the EV sector. 

  • Being Africa's most populous country is an opportunity in itself that Nigeria aims to leverage to attract partnerships.

  • Our take: Building from scratch is expensive, and many companies lack the financial muscle… Read more (2 min)

Today we're looking at the geographic distribution of where on the continent new funding is going. Yesterday we reported the totals for cash raised in October by companies in the mobility sector ($43.2 million, fairly evenly distributed by capital size and investment series). But where is the money actually ending up?

  • What’s painfully obvious is that West African mobility companies lost out on new capital last month. This is despite the growing number of new ventures there, especially in Nigeria. But many are still very much at an early stage.   

  • East Africa was the clear winner in October, having attracted the lion's share of new money. It’s not surprising. Kenya has the highest number of EV startups on the continent. It has raised money every month in the past quarter.

  • Our take: Nigerian EV firms have work to do to wow venture capital… Read more (2 min)

Media monitoring

  • MellowVans partners with Itemate: The partnership seeks to create a unique mobile storefront solution for African telecommunications companies by utilising 3-wheeled EVs, allowing telcos to bring their services directly to customers. Following a successful pilot program with Telkom in South Africa, the partnership is set to change customer service in the telecommunications industry across the continent. (Engineeringnews)

  • A look into Kenya’s EV sector: A report released last week by Mashariki RPC outlines Kenya's progress and challenges in transitioning to electric mobility.  Despite significant growth in EV registrations, rising from 65 in 2018 to 4,047 in 2023, Kenya faces major obstacles which include limited charging infrastructure, high electricity costs, and regulatory gaps. (Masharikirpc)

  • South Africa used EVs market: The best-selling second-hand EVs in South Africa are now dominated by Chinese brands GWM and BYD. These low-mileage options boast a longer range than rivals from established names like Mini and BMW, who have been in the country's EV market longer. BYD introduced the Dolphin and Atto 3 models in 2024, while GWM launched the Ora 300 in 2023. (MyBroadband)

🤝 Wahu Mobility partners with Letshego to improve consumer finance

 🏅eBee.africa partners with Vipingo Ridge to boost sustainable tourism

🔌 Zero Carbon Charge seeks partners for off-grid charging

📝 South Africa transport institution announces a call for research papers

Events

🚍 Sustainable Transport in Africa panel at Transport and Climate Change Week (Nov 6)

🛠️ Egypt hosts Auto Tech Expo (Nov 17)

Jobs

👨🏻‍💼 Max seeks a growth operations manager (Nigeria)

👩🏻‍💼 Shift EV seeks a senior fulfilment specialist (Egypt)

👮 Mogo seeks a security officer (Kenya)

James Lewis, President of Green Energy Initiatives, says, “Microgrid systems can efficiently supply power to EVs and proposed EV stations. The stand-alone 'Liquid Air Energy Storage' system concept is an excellent application for remote EV charging stations.”

Ann Mettler, Vice President of Breakthrough Energy, says, “I am very confident that emerging economies like South Africa are key to cleantech innovation and scaling breakthrough solutions. We saw in fintech that an entire continent could leapfrog in ways that others couldn’t.”