Electric vehicles designer and developer, Roam, has partnered with Hitachi Europe Ltd. (Hitachi) to make electric transport accessible in Africa.
Hitachi is a tech company that focuses on mobility sustainability in cities.
This collaboration is geared towards increasing the number of electric motorcycles and buses in Kenya.
It also enables the exchange of international knowledge within the electric vehicle industry through The Earthshot Prize’s Fellowship Program.
This working relationship was made possible by The Earthshot Prize, a global environmental prize that seeks to discover, accelerate and scale groundbreaking solutions to repair and regenerate the earth.
The prize was founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2020.
Roam, formerly known as Opibus, was the Earthshot finalist in the “Clean our Air” category in the second year of the awards in 2022.
Founded in 2017 as a research project at a Swedish University, the company aims to bring the electric vehicle revolution to the country.
Electric alternatives are either unreliable, of poor quality, or too expensive for most Kenyans.
Roam spotted an opportunity.
“These are electric vehicles made in Africa, designed for the African market. All at the same time designing everything locally with 40 per cent female employees in all areas,” they said.
The company builds affordable motorcycles and buses tailored to the market with affordability and reliability at the forefront.
“We have tested 160 prototypes, raised more than $7.5 million, and run a successful pilot program with M-Kopa, one of the largest asset financiers on the continent. Now the company has plans to scale up and produce 150,000 motorcycles and 800 buses per year by 2026. This is just the start,” the company said.
Roam aims to make electric transport accessible not only in Kenya but globally.
Hitachi is a Global Alliance member and supports the prize.
Earthshot Prize finalist advisor for Roam and Hitachi’s chief strategy and innovation officer Chris Saul said that transport accounts for around one-fifth of global emissions.
“Roam shares our vision of achieving a net-zero society and we are delighted to be providing support to help make electric vehicles more accessible and cost-efficient in Africa.”
Roam chief strategy and product officer Albin Wilson said they are innovating clean energy technologies to support their customers.
“We are purposefully collaborating with industry pioneers who share our mission to transform the way we move around the world. We are pleased to have a strong partner in Hitachi,” Wilson said.
Currently, Kenya has two active electric bus startups: BasiGo which locally assembles buses made by Chinese firm Build Your Dreams (BYD) Automotive, and Swedish-Kenyan electric vehicles start-up Roam (formerly Opibus).
Last year, Kenya Power also announced that it is seeking to phase out its fleet’s fossil-powered vehicles and motorbikes in the move to adopt electric ones, a step towards business sustainability.
It had set aside Sh40 million in the current financial year to purchase two pickups and one four-wheel drive for the pilot period.
The funds are expected to go towards the construction of three electric vehicle charging stations for the company’s use and demonstration purposes.
Kenya so far has more than 1,000 electric vehicles currently on the roads.