Ampersand partners BYD and Rwanda to collaboratively electrify Africa’s transportation infrastructure
The publicly traded Chinese multinational manufacturing business BYD and the Kigali-based electric transport energy startup Ampersand have joined forces to work on decarbonizing the commercial motorbike transport system in Africa.
Founded in 2016, Ampersand builds and funds electric motorcycles that are more affordable to purchase and run than the five million gasoline-powered motorcycle taxis that are currently in use throughout East Africa.
Ampersand’s fleet has increased to over 1,000 since its commercial launch in May 2019 and is predicted to reach 10,000 by late 2024. In January of this year, the company completed a US$19.5 million fundraising round.
As part of their collaboration, Ampersand will buy BYD’s cutting-edge battery cells in order to produce about 40,000 electric motorcycles by the end of 2026. The ultimate objective is to electrify a significant fraction of the 30 million commercial motorcycles in Africa. This will allow Ampersand, which now has the largest charging infrastructure in Kenya and Rwanda, to quickly expand both its electric fleet and its infrastructure.
Josh Whale, CEO of Ampersand, stated, “This partnership represents a significant milestone for Ampersand as we continue to lead the charge in providing sustainable, affordable, mass-market EV solutions.”
“BYD’s industry-leading battery cells and manufacturing scale, along with Ampersand’s extensive product knowledge and deep customer insight, will help accelerate the electrification of commercial motorcycles in Africa.” Among the world’s most cost-effective ways to reduce carbon emissions is to convert the millions of cab and delivery motorcycles to electric vehicles. Simultaneously, this change would propel clean economic success by saving millions of hardworking motorbike riders six hundred dollars year.
