The last few years you hear about it more often, electric vehicles. Also in African countries, they get more and more popular. Here in Kenya, we designed an electric motorcycle specially created for African roads. Efficient, but strong. Sustainable, but powerful. With a robust design and a swappable battery, our electric motorcycle is suitable for riding in the busy traffic of the city, as well as off-road. And all this in a clean and eco-friendly way.
The
Kenyan government has set the goal to have 5% of registered vehicles to be
electric by 2025. We think that’s great! By making the technology more cost-efficient
and simplifying deployment, we make electric transport more accessible to a
broader market. Because we make electric driving accessible for the mass
market, we focus on the largest group: public transport in East Africa. One of
the most common forms of transport in East African countries are the boda
bodas, the motorcycles used to go quickly from Point A to Point B in busy
traffic.
But what are the advantages of an electric motorcycle? And
why do youwant to exchange your polluting, inefficient fossil-fueled
motorcycle for a more sustainable electric one? We have listed 10 good reasons
why you would rather switch to electric driving today!
1. SAVE MONEY: AN ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE IS COST-EFFECTIVE
AND ALMOST MAINTENANCE-FREE
Save money! Definitely one of the best reasons to start
driving an electric motorcycle. And
it might be more affordable than you think. The purchase of an electric
motorcycle is an investment that pays off over the years of use. Driving an
electric motorcycle can save you 50% on running costs. But how does it work?
First of all, the electric motorcycle is powered by a
rechargeable battery instead of petrol. If we look at the energy source of the
motorcycles and list the costs per 10 km, with a fossil-fueled motorcycle
you consume around $0.25 per 10 km, and with our electric motorcycle around
$0.08 per 10 km. By using our electric motorcycle, you already save 68% on fuel costs! Imagine
taking a trip with your brand new electric motorcycle of 30 km from The
Village Market in Gigiri to the SGR station in Nairobi, you will save up to
$0.51. Repeat this trip ten times, and you've already saved more than $5!
Of course any motorcycle, electric or not, require some
maintenance. For example, the tires and brake pads. These parts all need to be
monitored and replaced once in a while. The advantage of an electric motorcycle
is that it only has one moving part: the electric motor. This means our
motorcycle is fully electric and has no oil, no spark plugs, no air filter, and
no timing belts. It also doesn't have a gearbox or clutch, which are often the
most expensive parts on a motorcycle to be replaced. Conclusion: over the years
you save a lot of money on maintenance with our electric motorcycle.
2. ZERO EMISSIONS - YOU CAN DO YOUR PART FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT
It has not gone unnoticed that we are dealing with
environmental pollution. During the social distancing measurements to reduce
COVID-19 in 2020, the pollution reduced so much that suddenly Mount Kenya was visible from Nairobi, the second-highest mountain in Africa and the highest mountain in Kenya. Some Kenyans even say they spotted the highest
mountain of Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, from the capital city.
The growing concern and fear of greenhouse gas emissions and
accompanying climate change are significant concerns for forward-thinking
businesses such as Opibus.
According to Knoema indicators, the CO2 emission in Kenya in 2019 was 0.38 tons per capita. Since road
transport by average passengers is one of the significant sources of CO2
emissions, it is hard to argue that electric motorcycles would not make an
immediate improvement if implemented nationwide. Especially because boda bodas,
the motorbike taxis, contribute to the highest percentage of intercity transport
in East Africa.
As said before, the
Kenyan government has set the goal to increase 5% of the registered vehicles to
be electric by 2025. There is an increasing consensus among national
policymakers and responsible business people to move towards a low-carbon
future in Kenya. It is time to consider both the social and environmental
repercussions of not opting for electric motorcycles.
Our electric motorcycles do not produce any emissions
because the battery can be charged with renewable energy from the grid or even
straight from a solar system. This means the motorcycle has no fumes and there
is virtually no CO2 emissions while driving. In general, fossil-fueled
motorcycles transmit 10g of CO2 per 10 km. Our electric motorcycle emits 0.3g
CO2 per 10 km. This means a
reduction of 97%!
3. ROBUST DESIGN: YOU CAN USE THE ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE
EVERYWHERE
From well-built roads to off-road dirt paths, potholes and
muddy alleys, the African roads are diverse and full of surprises, so you never
know what you’ll come across. You want to make sure that your electric
motorcycle can withstand all of these conditions and take you anywhere you
want. The robust design and a frame made of ultra-tough steel, ensures our
motorcycle can go through all terrains. The motorcycle has been tested in
extreme conditions to make sure that repairs are kept to a minimum without compromising
on performance.
4. YOU CAN CUT DOWN YOUR COMMUTE TIME
Driving in East African cities, like Nairobi, Mombasa, and
Kampala, a few miles sometimes can take hours to travel. Nothing gives you a
better feeling than leaving the crowd behind and skillfully riding your
electric motorcycle through the busy traffic. With an electric motorcycle,
changing gears is no longer necessary, which means you only have to focus on
what is happening all around you. The instant torque and rapid acceleration of
the electric motorcycle makes it easy to adapt to traffic and react quickly to
your environment. Soon you will leave the busy traffic behind, and you will
reach your destination in no time!
5. ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLES ARE QUIET
Besides environmental pollution from greenhouse gas
emissions, we also have to deal with noise pollution. Nairobi is exposed
to 86.3±
9.6 dB of noise pollution contributed by public service vehicles, like
matatus and boda bodas (the busses and motorbike taxi’s in East Africa). Car
horns,yelling, and gasoline-filled cars polluting the atmosphere, all contribute
to a less-than-pleasant commute experience. When you invest in an electric
motorcycle, you do your part in reducing the chaos.
Electric motorcycles produce almost no sounds. They are very
quiet and make virtually no noise. The sound of the electric engine can hardly
be heard and the only sound that the electric motorcycle gives off is the tires
running over the roads.
6. YOU NEVER LOSE POWER WITH SWAPPABLE BATTERIES AND A
PORTABLE CHARGER
Is your battery running low while driving? Not a problem,
our swappable battery allows you to swap your empty battery for a fully charged one within 10 seconds! You
can continue your trip without interruption, extending your range, and making
it possible to bring your battery inside to charge. During long rides, you can
bring an extra battery with you which can be swapped at home or at the office.
Our electric motorcycle has two large removable batteries.
The intelligent battery management system that the batteries are connected to
makes sure it output the right power at the right time. The range of the
electric motorcycle is 160 km. Every battery provides a range of 80 km. Of
course, the range depends on a couple of things, such as the terrain, rate of
acceleration, and tire pressure, but this isn’t any different compared to a
conventional motorcycle.
A portable charger is included with the purchase of our
electric motorcycle. You can take this charger everywhere with you, to charge
your batteries at any AC outlet. It can be plugged into any 230 /240V AC socket
in your home, at the office, or in public facilities, and it will take less than
4 hours for the portable charger to fully charge 1 battery!
7. WITH INSTANT ACCELERATION, THE ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE IS
FAST
Some riders need the thrill of speed. Others want to get
from Point A to Point B in the shortest amount of time possible. Whatever your
wants and needs, electric motorcycles outrank traditional motorcycles in torque and power. Riders can expect 100 percent instant torque and rapid
acceleration for freeway driving. No conventional motorcycle can compare to
this performance.
In the middle of the busy traffic of the city, you have to
brake and accelerate a lot to keep up with the traffic. Fortunately, you don't
have to shift gears with an electric motorcycle. All you have to do is
accelerate and brake, which makes driving in the busy traffic of the city a lot
more pleasant! Perhaps you are under the impression torque is scary, but
electric motorcycle torque and power are linear and give a relatively smooth
acceleration. With the speed of the instant torque and rapid acceleration, the
motorcycle is perfect for city and off-road riding.
8. THE ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE IS EASY TO DRIVE
You don’t have that much experience in how to drive a
motorbike yet? That’s not a problem with our electric motorcycle! It is super
easy to ride, and we are convinced everyone can do it. Since you don't have to
shift gears on our electric motorcycle, you just have to switch it on and ride.
This gives you the chance to focus more on the environment and less on how to
ride the motorcycle.
9. THE ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE IS CREATED, BUILT, AND
DESIGNED IN AFRICA
We want to make electric transport more accessible to a
broader market, such as public transport, and it was our goal to create a
cheap and low-cost motorcycle. We have not only taken the consumer into
account, but we also make use of local production and local assembly for our
motorcycles. That’s why we say: Designed in Kenya, for Africa!