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- Africa’s leading phone company makes a play for electric bikes
Africa’s leading phone company makes a play for electric bikes
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 | Transsion Holdings, a Chinese company that dominates Africa’s mobile phones markets with popular brands such as Infinix, Tecno and Itel, has entered the electric motorcycles business in Kenya via its e-mobility arm TankVolt. The company, which also owns the popular television and home appliances brand Syinix, has begun assembly of its electric motorcycles in Nairobi. |
To capture the continent’s rapidly growing EV market, Transsion seeks to apply the same playbook that made it a dominant force in Africa’s mobile phone market: Deep localisation, robust distribution networks, and control over its supply chain.
Africa is becoming a playground for Chinese and Indian electric motorcycle firms aiming to dominate the market. Local startups are racing against time to secure millions of dollars in funding to compete.
Our take: Low prices will be key if Transsion is to dominate Africa’s EV market in the same way it dominates mobile phones… Read more (2 min)
 | Consumer prices in Africa’s electric mobility sector have declined by 0.21% in the past month as measured by the change in prices in a representative basket of products. They include electric motorcycle and electric car prices, consumer financing costs and fees for powering options. Prices are collected by our data analysts in East, West, North and southern Africa. |
The Mobility Rising Price Index for July declined from 1,003.7 to 1,001.5. This is the first decline since we started tracking product prices in April.
The decline was mainly driven by lower vehicle and financing prices in Kenya and Nigeria and a slight decline in vehicle prices in South Africa. However, Kenya’s EV charging prices rose by 0.72% and Egypt’s vehicle prices increased by 0.51%.
Our take: The cost of owning an EV has come down over the past month, a positive development for the sector… Read more (2 min)
 | The electric mobility sector recorded 14 new job openings this week, according to an analysis by Mobility Rising. Notably, Zembo has begun hiring in Kenya for the first time, a sign it could be eyeing market entry following its success in Uganda. This development comes shortly after securing a $1 million loan from the Dutch development bank FMO earlier this month. |
Operations, administrative and sales roles usually dominate the job board. This week there are seven. However, there's an emerging demand for more tech talent, signalling a shift in hiring needs. Zembo posted 4 tech roles, highlighting this trend.
The super-hirer in West Africa, MAX, seems to have rejoined the race, now seeking finance and operations roles after being absent in last week’s listings. Ampersand, M-Kopa, Rubicon and BYD are also actively recruiting this week.
Click here to see the full list… Read more (2 min)
Advanced Mobility Centre’s founder Alex Munene speaks at a recent youth empowerment bootcamp in Kenya
Events
🗓️ Register for battery circularity webinar (July 30)
🗓️ Attend Morocco’s Auto Show (Sept 16)
🗓️ Book a ticket to Autotech exhibition in Egypt (Oct 24)
Various
🤝 Zembo partners with VisionFund Uganda aiming at consumer financing
💵 Kiri EV, Stima Mobility, and Ecobodaa selected for funding by PREO
📉 Electric and hybrid cars in trouble in South Africa
Seen on LinkedIn
George Song’e, former Operations Lead at ARC Ride, says, "As the push for decarbonising the transport sector accelerates, the three-wheeler market stands out as a remarkable business opportunity in an evolving landscape."