Consumer View: Why I recommend an electric motorcycle

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Alpha Paul Onyango has been a motorcycle taxi rider in Kenya’s capital Nairobi for nine years. For most of this time, he was riding a Boxer BM 100 petrol motorcycle. Eight months ago, he decided to switch to an electric motorcycle from Ampersand. He has been able to reduce his energy costs, helping him make more money. “It is also way cheaper to maintain,” he says. 

• According to Mr Onyango, he saves both on energy and maintenance costs with the electric motorcycle. A $2 battery swap brings in around $6.2 in revenue, he says.

• The biggest challenge he wants solved is more swapping stations to be built. Further, he wants to see companies make spare parts cheaper and more accessible to riders. 

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Kenya now has more than a dozen electric motorcycle companies, with new players continuing to make the plunge into the nascent market. This increased competition is not only helping reduce prices but is also spurring innovation.

Yet, demand still outpaces supply. More than 5,000 electric motorcycles have been sold in the country to date, but it is still a tiny number compared to millions of fuel motorcycles that ply the East African country’s roads.

Those who have made the leap to electric motorcycles like My Onyango are reaping the benefits of switching to this new technology, but are also encountering the myriad of challenges that come with being the pioneer customers of a new industry. 

“Maintaining the electric motorcycle is cheap, you don’t spend on oil and deal with issues with the clutch,” says Mr Onyango.

Motorcycle riders in Kenya mainly operate from dedicated stages to pick passengers. They are organized in groups and associations, often led by a chairman. At the Kariobangi stage where he operates, his colleagues are also warming up to the idea of buying an electric motorcycle.

“My chairman rides a TVS fuel motorcycle. He tells me that should he sell his TVS, he can only buy an electric motorcycle, he won’t be going back to a petrol one,” he says.

He pays Ksh260 ($2) per battery swap, which gives him a range of about 100 km. With one swap, he earns around Ksh800 ($6.2).

Mr Onyango took a loan from a local lender to purchase the electric motorcycle, underlining the key role lenders have in advancing electric mobility on the continent. His motorcycle was already used when he bought it, which helped lower its price.

“Instead of paying the deposit of Ksh20,000 ($155) that is paid for new electric motorcycles, I paid Ksh15,000 ($116) because it had been repossessed from another user by the lender,” he said. He is paying a daily installment of Ksh390 ($3), which he will pay for 14 months.

This comes at a time when a growing number of used electric motorcycles are hitting the market. However, a key concern for the used market is the battery. As the most expensive component, the health and remaining life of a used battery are crucial factors.

But all is not rosy for electric motorcycle owners in Nairobi. The main challenge that Mr Onyango has to grapple with is limited range and insufficient swapping stations. “This limits where you can go unlike a fuel motorcycle,” he says.

Another major challenge is the lack of spare parts and qualified technicians to fix his motorcycle whenever it has technical issues. “I have to go to the company to get spare parts. For example, this morning I had to change the disc and it took a long time to fix.”

At the same time, the rider says the swapping stations are sometimes unreliable, and that riders often find batteries at the stations not yet fully charged. At the same time, many swapping stations have limited operating hours.

“Some of them close as early as 10pm which means you also have to close the day early if your battery is depleted,” said Mr Onyango.