For weeks, popular Kenyan podcaster and radio presenter Francis Kibe Njeri has used his social media platforms to spotlight a problem he says many electric motorcycle riders face, but few companies in the industry acknowledge: batteries that cannot be swapped across networks and motorcycles that can be remotely disabled after periods of inactivity.
Electric motorcycles, also known as electric mobility bikes or e-bikes, are gaining ground throughout Africa, led by companies such as Ampersand, ARC Ride, and Roam. The continent’s largest e-bike firm, Spiro, operates more than 1,200 battery charging and swap stations and has deployed about 60,000 electric motorcycles, according to its most recent public filing in late 2024.
Njeri claims in his widely shared posts that some operators’ remote-lockout features have rendered electric motorcycles unusable, stranding riders who depend on them for their livelihoods. He is among many calling for more open, standardized battery systems.
“It is not fair that we purchase the bikes, but the battery remains the property of the manufacturer, and we can only use their stations and not charge them at home,” Njeri said.
EV bike riders take to the streets
Hundreds of Kenyan e-bike riders in Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa took to the streets in November, chanting and waving placards demanding more battery-swap stations and open access across networks.
“I lose up to 500 Kenyan shillings ($4.50) every time I can’t find a swap point and sit waiting,” said Oscar Okite, a Nairobi-based rider who has embraced e-bikes for lower operating costs but says scarce swap stations limit his earnings potential. “We need battery networks that work
Electric motorcycles powered by replaceable lithium-ion batteries are cheaper to use than gas-powered bikes. Most of these firms say riders can save up to 40% on daily operating expenses because electricity is cheaper than fuel and maintenance is simpler.
Yet there is still uneven access to swap stations, hubs where riders trade drained batteries for charged ones in minutes. In Nairobi and other urban centers, networks operated by Spiro, Ampersand and their competitors have set up dozens of stations, but gaps remain outside major corridors and in outlying areas.
“It’s great when I’m near a proper swap site,” Njeri said. “But go two or three towns away and you’re likely to be stuck.”
E-bike ecosystems limit flexibility
Africa’s electric motorcycle companies have mostly built vertically integrated systems, where vehicles, batteries and charging infrastructure are designed to work only within a single brand’s ecosystem.
The latest figures by the Africa E-mobility Alliance show East Africa leads with over 89 active e-mobility companies, followed by 46 in Southern Africa, 39 in West Africa and 19 in North Africa. There are only six such companies in Central Africa.
Most are e-bike companies, with 16% offering three-wheelers.
East Africa also accounts for mostof the e-mobility investments, at $207 million as of September, followed by West Africa at $173 million and Southern Africa at $100 million.
The mainstay of the e-bike business is battery-swap networks, an energy system that has proven effective in parts of Asia and Europe. But critics say fragmented systems where batteries and stations are tied to specific brands due to their proprietary technologies are hindering growth despite supportive government policies.
“The lack of interoperability across charging and battery-swapping stations remains one of the biggest bottlenecks to scaling the sector,” said Eric Tsui, commercial manager at asset financing firm Watu Africa.
“From a financing and consumer perspective, the worst-case scenario is having many swap stations that cannot serve all riders,” he said. “We need interoperability so that batteries can be charged or swapped at any station, regardless of the operator.”
