Blu EV grows staff count by 48% ahead of Morocco debut

From the newsletter 

Egypt’s Blu EV has increased its workforce by 48% over the last 12 months, according to an analysis of LinkedIn data by Mobility Rising. The company has 46 staff on the platform. This makes it one of Africa’s fastest-growing electric mobility companies based on employee count. Blu EV’s main business is converting petrol-powered motorcycles into electric ones. 

• Our analysis shows that the company has added 15 employees to its workforce over the past 12 months. Its workers have an average experience of 11.2 years, the second highest out of 30 top electric mobility startups across Africa. Founded in 2023, the average tenure at the company is 1.6 years. 

• The hiring spree mirrors Blue EV’s rapid expansion in Egypt, where demand for EVs and charging services is growing. The company is preparing for regional expansion, having announced that it will enter Morocco by the end of 2025 with a planned investment of $100 million. 

More details

• Top mobility firms across Africa have been recruiting heavily over the past one year as they expand into new markets, backed by both external funding and internally-generated revenues. They include Tesla, Spiro and Ampersand, which have expanded their workforce in Africa by 967, 209 and 55 respectively, according to LinkedIn data. 

• For Blu EV, its backing by prominent Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris and his firm Orascom Investment Holding, which has invested $120 million, provides a significant advantage. This strong financial support has enabled the startup to expand rapidly within Egypt, setting it on a clear path for expansion across North Africa and the Middle East. 

• Blu EV's business model of converting petrol-powered motorcycles to electric ones has significant potential, especially as the cost of conversion is lower than the cost of a new electric motorcycle. The continent is estimated to have more than 30 million motorcycles on its roads, the majority of which are powered by petrol.

• The company is also building a network of battery-swapping stations. This model directly tackles one of the biggest challenges for EV adoption in Africa: limited charging infrastructure and unreliable electricity grids. By allowing riders to quickly swap a depleted battery for a fully charged one, Blu EV provides a practical and efficient solution that reduces range anxiety. The company has already set up over 50 stations in Egypt. 

• Blu EV's planned expansion into Morocco is strategic. While Morocco is a growing hub for EV production, its focus has been on electric cars for export. The market for electric motorcycles has been largely unaddressed, presenting a significant opportunity for Blu EV to capitalize on the country's large and growing motorcycle market of over 3 million units. It also comes at a time when Morocco is actively offering tax breaks and purchase subsidies for new energy vehicles, aiming to add 500,000 EVs by the end of 2025.

• Like Blu EV, the majority of electric mobility companies in Africa are local, but an increasing number of multinationals like Tesla and BYD are making waves on the continent. This is disrupting the labour market, with local firms unable to compete with the compensation packages offered by these global giants. 

Our take

• Blu EV’s Morocco entry could reshape North Africa’s two-wheeler market, filling a gap where most EV efforts focus on cars. If successful, the retrofit model may spread quickly to other motorcycle-heavy markets like Nigeria and Kenya.

• With over 50 swap stations already in Egypt, Blu EV could set the standard for Africa’s battery-as-a-service model. Competitors will likely follow, making battery swapping the dominant infrastructure solution for two- and three-wheelers across Africa.

• Local startups will require significant capital to compete with global firms that are entering the market, both for market share and talent. Investment in training will however enable these startups to get skilled talent at a cheaper cost.