Africa’s first electric air taxi takes to the skies

• New to Africa, eVTOLs are future alternatives to helicopters. They may offer efficient urban air mobility, reduce traffic congestion and improve access to remote areas for services like emergency response and package delivery. 

• Rwanda joins Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria and Kenya as the major African countries showing interest in developing or acquiring eVTOLs for tourism and cargo transport.  

• Our take: The next step for Rwanda is to identify commercial applications for eVTOLs to build on the partnership with the Chinese… Read more (2 min)

eBee targets Tanzania & Ethiopia expansion

• eBee pioneered electric bicycles in Kenya four years ago before expanding to Uganda. It says that while its immediate focus will continue to be on the two countries, it has begun preliminary work for further expansion into new markets.

• “We have already visited Ethiopia and Tanzania and even done market research and other stuff because for a lot of reasons, there is a lot of potential in those two markets as well,” said Mr Fonteijn. 

• Our take: One can see potential to boost sales volumes but also new risks especially in Ethiopia… Read more (2 min)

Electric car prices fall in Kenya

• Mobility Rising monitors monthly price changes for over 24 electric vehicles across Africa — Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt are included in the analysis as leading markets for EV activity.

• BYD has embarked on an aggressive price cutting drive globally to grow sales. In Egypt, however, EV prices continue to rise despite increased competition, reflecting a particular market ecosystems.

• Our take: Electric car prices are facing pressure from the increasing number of PHEVs… Read more (2 min)