How the taxi business is driving EV sales

November 19, 2025

Dear subscriber,

Ever since ride hailing platforms launched in Africa, operators have been going for ever smaller and more fuel-efficient cars to cut costs. This orientation is now leading them to electric cars, and EV importers are smiling all the way to the bank.

Brian Ambani – Editor 

MojaEV Africa, a Kenya-based EV company, has just handed over 30 electric cars to taxi operators. The cars were produced from low-cost Chinese EV manufacturer Neta. It adds to dozens of electric cars the company has handed over as taxis in recent months. This is the latest example of how the rapidly growing taxi business is helping to drive EV sales in Africa. 

  • Just like electric motorcycles, the automotive taxi business is driving the adoption of electric cars as operators look to cut operational costs. Cheaper and smaller electric cars from China are becoming more visible online taxis.  

  • EV sellers have been forced to rely on the lease-to-own model to attract buyers as purchase prices remain prohibitive. Despite this, consumer uptake has remained slow due to high daily payments and concerns over battery longevity. 

  • Our take: Taxi companies like Uber and Bolt charge lower fares for EV rides. This will pressure riders to go electric to get customers… Read more (2 min)

Ugandan government-owned electric bus company Kiira Motors has commenced a 13,000 km journey from the capital Kampala to the South African city of Cape Town to showcase the capability of its electric buses. The journey will take the locally-made 13-metre Kayoola 2025 electric bus through six countries and will take 30 days to complete. 

  • Electric buses are mainly used for intra-city travel in Africa, where charging stations are scarce. Kiira’s expedition is primarily a marketing exercise for the buses but will also test the practicality of electric buses for long distance trips.   

  • Kiira faces the handicap of being state-owned, resulting in funding shortages that limit its ability to fulfil bulk orders. This contrasts with privately-held competitors like BasiGo, who are able to attract capital faster. 

  • Our take: Securing a steady flow of capital from both the government and other partners is essential for Kiira to become a serious player in the industry… Read more (2 min)

The number of senior employees at 25 select top EV companies in Africa grew by 1,455 over the past year, according to LinkedIn data analysed by Mobility Rising. This represents a 54% increase to 4,136 senior staff. Four of the companies we analysed saw a reduction in their senior workforce over the 12-month period, while 21 companies recorded increases.

  • The sales personnel grew by 67% from 251 in November 2024 to 418 this month. This reflects the companies’ efforts to expand market reach and support rising demand for electric vehicles across Africa. 

  • The companies we analysed include Spiro, Tesla, Blu EV, Zembo, Roam, eMo Mobility, Shift EV, Kiira, MAX, Gogo, BYD, Saglev, and BasiGo. Others are eBee Africa, GridCars, Ampersand, Dodai, Elsewedy Plug, Kofa, Wahu Mobility, ARC Ride, Greenwheels, Solar Taxi, MellowVans, and Charge.

  • Our take: The number of hires are expected to increase further as more companies scale to new markets… Read more (2 min)

Zembo CEO James Obarowski (second left) gives a swap stations tour to France’s ambassador to Uganda, Virginie Leroy (in green trousers) and Rubis Uganda management team (Source: Rubis)

Jobs

👷🏻‍♀️ Become a Technician at Spiro (Rwanda)

👨‍✈️ Apply for Junior Showroom Assistant’s role at Dodai (Ethiopia)

🛠️ Join BasiGo as a Vehicle Services Manager (Rwanda)

Events

📅 Exhibit at Tanzania’s Sustainable Transport Week (Nov 24)

📅 Attend C40 Cities webinar on funding public transport (Nov 25)

📅 Register for the South Africa’s automotive value chains webinar (Nov 26)

Various 

💵 Apply for Lobito Corridor grants funded by the European Union

📝 Join the Electric Vehicle Technician Upskiller Programme by GIZ Kenya

📖 Read about Electric Bus Depot Charging: Lessons for Grid Integration

Seen on LinkedIn 

Jean Tristan, Logistic and Liaison Executive at Premier Three Logistics, says, “In recent years, the global push towards electric vehicles (EV) has seen momentum, but its impact on African logistics is a topic that often flies under the radar.”