7% Of All New Motorcycle Registrations In Kenya In 2024 Were Electric!

Good issues are occurring in Africa, particularly within the electrical automobile sector. We’re beginning to see vital traction in a lot of international locations on the African continent. In Ethiopia, a complete ban on the import of absolutely constructed ICE vehicles has resulted in an unimaginable improve within the variety of electrical autos on the roads. In Senegal, a ground-breaking 100% electrical speedy bus transit service is up and working. Various international locations are additionally pushing for adoption of electrical buses. Over 90% of all autos imported in most African international locations are available in as used autos. With the rising variety of used electrical autos in Europe, China, and America, we’re additionally beginning to see much more used EVs coming to West, East, Central, and Southern Africa.

One of many hottest subjects in Africa for the time being, nevertheless, is the rise of the electrical motorbike sector. Bikes are a extremely massive deal in lots of African international locations, with most of them deployed as taxis. Near 30 million bikes on the continent are used on this motorbike taxi trade. With virtually 99% of them nonetheless being inner combustion engine bikes, there’s a big alternative and a big addressable marketplace for electrification. The transfer in the direction of electrical autos in Africa, particularly on this electrical motorbike sector, has primarily been pushed by the personal sector by small startup firms.

Many of the developments in Africa’s electrical motorbike sector have been concentrated alongside what’s now referred to as the “boda belt.” The boda belt, a time period coined by Tom Courtright, is a stretch of nations on the African map the place motorbike taxis have been outstanding over time. This belt stretches from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal. There’s additionally vital exercise in North African international locations reminiscent of Morocco, the place smaller scooters are used primarily for private transportation, not like in East Africa and West Africa, the place a lot of the exercise is for industrial transport functions.

The significance of accelerating the transition to electrical bikes alongside this belt and decarbonizing transport typically is gaining extra consideration. Electrical two-wheelers clear up the air and save drivers on common 45% a yr on gasoline and upkeep, bettering lives and livelihoods and driving entrepreneurship and social mobility. The unit economics can be a key driver within the quest to drive adoption. As extra electrical bikes hit the highway now, confidence in in electrical bikes in these markets is rising. With a number of firms within the electrical motorbike area now shifting from early commercialization of their merchandise to full industrial operations at respectable scale, there may be now lots of exercise alongside this boda belt.

One of many international locations alongside this boda belt that’s seeing lots of motion and vital traction within the electrical motorbike sector is Kenya. There are over 2 million inner combustion engine bikes in Kenya. Bikes make up simply over 50% of Kenya’s whole automobile fleet. Bike taxis are popularly referred to as boda bodas in Kenya and different markets. The motorbike taxi trade is an important section of Kenya’s economic system. Transitioning this sector to electrical will make an infinite distinction within the pockets of the homeowners of the bikes in addition to the riders. Lots of the startups which can be energetic in Kenya’s electrical motorbike ecosystem are providing progressive financing preparations together with fashions the place one can purchase the motorbike after which lease the batteries, decreasing the upfront prices. Vary anxiousness fears are additionally eradicated by providing battery swap companies.

It’s also necessary to speed up the adoption of electrical motor autos in Kenya’s largest automobile section to cut back emissions. Kenya’s grid is already exceptionally clear. Renewables present round 90% of Kenya’s electrical energy technology. By progressively rising the penetration of electrical bikes in Kenya, vital financial savings in CO2 emissions may be achieved. This may be achieved by incentivizing purchases of recent electrical motorbikes. 2023 was the primary time the Kenyan motorbike gross sales market noticed a noticeable improve within the share of electrical bikes within the total new registrations market. In 2023, there have been 70,691 bikes bought in Kenya. 2,557 of those have been electrical. Which means 3.6% of bikes bought in 2023 in Kenya have been electrical. That’s virtually 4%. So, we didn’t count on it to be lengthy earlier than the market share reached the essential 5%, which is usually seen because the tipping level indicating the beginning of mass adoption. The share of electrical bikes rose to three.6% in 2023 from 2.8% in 2022 and 0.5% in 2021. 2024 was even higher because the market share surged to 7.1%. The KNBS Financial Survey Report (2025) reveals that 68,804 new bikes have been registered Kenya in 2024. Of those, 4862 bikes have been electrical in line with knowledge introduced by the Electrical Mobility Affiliation of Kenya (EMAK). That’s the place the 7.1% market share comes from.

A number of local-based corporations have achieved an impressive job to construct this trade from scratch from about 7 years in the past. After going via the varied phases of early pilots, additional pilots, a number of iterations and pivots, leading to a lot of them discovering the candy spot after which graduating into early commercialization phases of their merchandise. These corporations needed to dig deep of their analysis and growth phases to supply electrical bikes that may deal with the calls for of the boda boda trade, and on the similar time, deal with the native terrain in addition to tough highway situations. It’s because for his or her merchandise to take off, they actually wanted to make merchandise which can be strong sufficient to match or exceed the ICE merchandise which can be presently in the marketplace. That meant they might not simply deliver off the shelf merchandise and parts from abroad, however they actually needed to adapt their designs for these situations. After that, the following factor was to indicate that these new electrical bikes had a decrease whole price of possession. Then the following step was to forge strategic partnerships with companions which can be already within the distribution and financing ecosystem for conventional bikes. This might unlock necessary channels that align with their path to market methods.

It appears all of those efforts are bearing fruit, because the sector is making regular progress given the rising market share of electrical bikes in Kenya. Going from 0 to 7% in about three years is absolutely cool. Nonetheless, it must be famous that this market share has been aided by the startling decline within the gross sales of recent bikes in Kenya, from a peak of 285,203 bikes bought in 2021 to only 68,804 in 2024. This big drop in gross sales has been attributed to decrease client buying energy which has lowered the each day utilization of boda bodas in Kenya, and consequently additionally lowered the each day unit profitability for motorbike taxis attributable to greater gasoline prices in current occasions. Different elements embody greater financing prices on high of elevated sticker costs for some fashions.

Given their decrease whole price of possession, this could possibly be a key second for electrical bikes in Kenya. Gamers within the electrical motorbike trade might reap the benefits of this and capitalize on lowered demand for bikes, which have historically been largely ICE bikes over time, by emphasizing potential financial savings that could possibly be derived from switching to electrical. Might we see an extra decline within the total market in 2025? This might imply the market share of electrical bikes would surge to even greater ranges, on condition that a lot of gamers within the Kenya market are beginning to ramp up manufacturing of their electrical bikes. 14% market share for 2025? Allow us to wait and see.