Electrifying Motorcycle Taxis in Africa to Reduce Emissions and Save Drivers Money

What are motorcycle taxis? Motorcycle taxis are indispensable in East Africa and other developing countries. In large cities experiencing unplanned growth, agile moto-taxis can navigate congestion while transporting millions of people. In Rwanda, more than half of all vehicles on the road at any moment are motorcycle taxis. But gasoline-powered motorcycles are not cheap: fuel is expensive, maintenance can be expensive, and the motorcycles can cause serious air pollution and emit greenhouse gasses. What is Ampersand? Ampersand makes affordable electric vehicles and charging systems for the five million motorcycle taxi drivers in East Africa, who are known locally as ‘motars’. Headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, Ampersand grew from a tiny garage project into Africa's leading electric vehicle company, with a team of more than two hundred people based in Kenya and Germany. Since launching in May 2019 with twenty electric motorcycles (known as “e-motos”), the company has put hundreds of e-motos on roads across East Africa. With gas-powered motorcycles, many drivers spend over $11 daily on fuel and vehicle costs, but make as little as $1.60 each day. Going electric can double a driver’s income by reducing fuel costs and drive Africa towards a zero-carbon future. Ampersand advertises its motorcycles as vehicles that have excellent driving performance, need minimal customer behavior change, emit 75 percent less carbon than gas-powered motorcycles, have zero tailpipe emissions, and save drivers over $500 USD a year—significant savings for a family of three in Rwanda. How does Ampersand work?The Ampersand system works as follows:A motorcycle driver purchases or leases an Ampersand e-moto.When the battery is low, the driver comes to an Ampersand swap station.Ampersand switches depleted battery for a new battery, while driver pays for the energy used by the depleted battery.The driver continues their drive, swapping for another new battery when needed.Through this model, drivers do not incur the risk of buying a lithium battery pack or waiting for batteries to recharge, losing time and customers in the process. Each battery is high-range and so requires stopping at Ampersand stations less often than drivers would need to do if refueling with gasoline. Ampersand e-motos cost less than gas-powered motorcycles to lease or buy, and half as much to power. Using electricity from a fossil-fuel-powered grid, the e-motos produce 75 percent fewer lifecycle greenhouse emissions than gas-powered motorbikes. Using electricity generated from renewable energy sources, they produce 98 percent fewer lifecycle greenhouse emissions than gas-powered motorcycles. Ampersand batteries are assembled locally in Rwanda.Who is Alp Tilev?Alp Tilev is the Chief Technical Officer at Ampersand Motorcycles. He first came to Rwanda to join Great Lakes Energy, where he worked on remote monitoring for solar energy systems of health centers in off-grid areas. He worked for many years as a computer scientist at Microsoft, helping to make Microsoft relevant for hackers and startups in the New York City community. Tilev started his career in natural language processing and machine learning for Fast Search, a Norwegian software startup. Alp holds a BA computer science from the University of Aarhus and Istanbul Bilgi University.Further ReadingRwanda’s Electric Motorbike Revolution Speeds Ahead, World Economic ForumRwandan Electric Motorcycle Startup Ampersand Secures $9m Debt Facility, Disrupt AfricaEast Africa’s Transition to Electric Vehicles, Local SourceThe Love-Hate Relationship Between East Africa and Boda Boda Two-Wheeled Taxis, BloombergRwanda Goes Electric with Locally Made Motorbikes, BBC News For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/electrifying-motorcycle-taxis-in-africa-to-reduce-emissions-and-save-drivers-money/