CrossBoundary makes debut in the EV sector

October 30, 2025

Dear subscriber,

Electricity prices in Africa are high, and that is bad news for EV owners. But that may not always be the case. Africa’s electric mobility revolution is now getting a solar boost, and that’s good news.

Brian Ambani – Editor

CrossBoundary Energy, the investment company, has unveiled a solar-powered battery charging station near Kenya’s capital Nairobi, marking its first project in the EV sector. Its subsidiary CrossBoundary Energy EVx (CBEVx) financed 150 batteries for industry player Ampersand and a 36.9 kWp solar PV system that will support swapping of 200 motorcycles daily.  

  • Renewable energy firms are emerging as crucial funders of solar-powered charging stations under long-term power purchase agreements. This is expected to lower the cost of EV charging.   

  • CrossBoundary says its pilot project with Ampersand has demonstrated the scalability of the model. It is scaling up for more solar-powered charging hubs. 

  • Our take: Scale is key for EV startups. Partnerships can help EV companies scale faster with less capital commitments… Read more (2 min)

Our ranking of top companies in the EV sector is based on the conviction that people are the single best indicator for how well a company is doing. Hence we rank companies by people metrics namely number of total staff and sales staff, country locations with 3+ staff, staff growth and experience, tenure, number of top staff degrees. Data is drawn from public sources. 

  • By tracking LinkedIn data, we identified 25 companies. They are Tesla, Spiro, Elswedy Plug, Kiira Motors, Kofa, Dodai, BasiGo, Greenwheels, Blu EV, BYD, Zembo, Saglev, Gogo, Ampersand, ARC Ride and Wahu Mobility. Others are Charge, Shift EV, GridCars, eBee, eMo Mobility, Max, Roam, SolarTaxi and Rubicon.

  • Across these companies, the average level of experience is 7 years, while the average tenure is 2 years. They have a total of 4,273 senior staff listed on LinkedIn. A third of them (1,433) were hired in the past 12 months. 

  • Read our full ranking here… (2 min)

Mobility Rising has aggregated 14 new open jobs across Africa’s electric mobility sector this week, during which financing companies topped hiring. East Africa dominates the listings, with multiple openings from Spiro, Dodai and Mogo. West Africa follows with continued recruitment from MAX and Solar Taxi. There are no new job listings in North and southern Africa.

  • Spiro returns to the job board after a two-week break, while Zeno resumes hiring momentum last seen in September. Asset financiers remain active, alongside frequent recruiters like Dodai and MAX, who rarely miss a week. 

  • Jobs lean heavily toward operations, logistics and technical roles, reflecting growing demand for hands-on talent in e-mobility deployment. There’s also a steady rise in people-focused and customer success positions.

  • Click here to see the full list… Read more (2 min)

GoMetro’s CEO Justin Coetzee presents about electrification of the public sector in SA at a summit. (Source: uYilo Electric Mobility Programme) 

Events

📅 Attend Auto Expo in Tanzania (Nov 5)

📅 Register for Urban Mobility Summit in South Africa (Nov 6)

📅 Plan for Auto Equip in Nigeria (Nov 11)

Various 

🚘 Volvo EX30 conquers South Africa’s toughest challenge

⚡ Ethiopia unveils locally developed electric car charger

🚗 Stylish new Alfa Romeo Junior EV lands in SA

Seen on LinkedIn 

Charles Wakanyi, the Director of Operations at M C Africa, says, “China still leads when it comes to battery tech, charging infrastructure, and fast-charging systems. They’ve built the backbone of e-mobility. But when it comes to the actual bikes, India seems to have found the sweet spot between strength, cost, and performance, exactly what Africa needs.”