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- A solar-powered swapping station is coming to a church near you
A solar-powered swapping station is coming to a church near you
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 | EV company Spiro is set to establish solar-powered battery swapping stations at Catholic churches across Kenya. The deal is the first of its kind between the church and an EV company in Kenya. Spiro says the rollout of the stations will be done in phases. This will add to the dozens of grid-tied swapping stations that Spiro has built in major towns, mainly Nairobi. |
The Catholic Church is the largest in Kenya, with over 1,170 parishes and more than 5,830 mission stations in the country. This countrywide presence will fast-track Spiro’s swapping station network in Kenya and serve thousands of riders.
Spiro is betting on solar swapping stations to reduce energy costs. It is in eight countries, has already established a solar-powered swapping station in Nigeria and aims to replicate this in its other markets.
Our take: This is a divine distribution move. Places of worship, frequented by millions of people, can be used to scale quickly… Read more (2 min)
 | Angola’s national oil company, Sonangol, plans to roll out over 100 electric vehicle charging points within by 2028. The company plans to establish 70 of the chargers during the current financial year, 30 of which will be located in the capital Luanda. The oil and gas company seeks to cut its carbon footprint by investing in solar and EV charging stations. |
Sonangol is one of the largest companies in Africa and the second largest oil producer on the continent with assets exceeding $51 billion. Building 100 charging points will make it Angola’s biggest charging company.
Several oil majors (Shell, TotalEnergies, BP) are investing in EV charging infrastructure as part of strategic moves to diversify portfolios and invest in renewable energy and transition technologies.
Our take: Investment in EV charging by oil companies is a no brainer. They have the necessary capital and real estate needed to succeed… Read more (2 min)
 | Three founders with IT backgrounds secured funding and exits last month. Alp Tilev, a former Microsoft employee, and Josh Whale, who previously managed IP registrations in China, raised $10 million for electric mobility company Ampersand. Meanwhile, IT specialist Abdessamad Misbah sold his startup, Koto, to AfriCar Group for an undisclosed sum. |
Collaboration is vital in the mobility sector, as shown by the co-founding of Ampersand. Mr Whale started the company in 2014. And in 2018, Alp Tilev, then a minigrid expert, joined, bringing valuable energy management expertise.
Successful mobility startups require complementary tech skills, including telematics to monitor and analyse key operations.
Our take: IT skills can be a big boost when building in the mobility sector… Read more (2 min)
Francis Romano, CEO of Drivelectric E-mobility, trains a cohort on battery technology
Events
📅 Attend the Africa E-Mobility Week in Ethiopia (Oct 14)
📅 Attend Africa Startup Festival in Kenya (Oct 30)
📅 Book a slot at E-Mobility and Infrastructure Africa Summit (Nov 26)
Jobs
👷🏻♂️ Become a Field Service Technician at balancell (South Africa)
👨🏻💻 Join BasiGo as a Data Analyst (Kenya)
💼 Manage accounts at Shift EV (Egypt)
Various
🚙 Chobe Game Lodge in Botswana starts piloting electric safari vehicles
🚚 Shift EV partners with EVA pharma boosting EVs in Egyptian logistics
🚍 Golden Arrow pilots 60 electric buses in South Africa
Seen on LinkedIn
Neil Odame, Supply Chain Expert, says, “Rwanda's government has cultivated a supportive environment for green innovation, demonstrating that effective policy can accelerate the adoption of sustainable technologies across the supply chain.”