Spiro partners with Yourrider to scale battery swap stations

From the newsletter

Electric motorcycle company Spiro, which operates in seven African countries, has partnered with logistics startup Yourrider to expand Nigeria’s battery swapping infrastructure. This collaboration aims to make electric mobility in the country more affordable and convenient, enabling riders to replace depleted batteries in minutes and eliminating long charging times. 

• Electric motorcycle battery swapping stations are rapidly transforming Africa's transportation landscape, offering a practical and sustainable solution for the continent's growing electric mobility sector. These stations are eliminating long charging times, which is especially beneficial to motorcycle taxi operators who rely on continuous operation.  

• Spiro, which continues to expand in other countries on the continent, currently operates over 600 battery-swapping stations across Africa. These stations are part of its broader strategy to enhance electric mobility infrastructure and provide seamless, cost-effective solutions for riders. 

More details

• Beyond Nigeria, Spiro continues to solidify its presence in countries like Benin, Togo, and Ghana, where its electric bikes and innovative technologies are transforming transportation systems. Through a comprehensive network of battery swap stations, Spiro seeks to ensure reliability and efficiency for its growing customer base.

• According to Rahul Gaur (first from right in the picture above), Director of the West Africa Region at Spiro, the partnership is part of the company’s commitment to eliminating barriers to EV adoption, including range anxiety. "We are dedicated to making electric mobility a practical and affordable reality in Nigeria," said Gaur. 

• Spiro is targeting new markets like Tanzania, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to solidify its rapid growth over the last three years since it was founded. The company has thus become one of the largest recruiters in Africa’s mobility sector. Analysis by Mobility Rising shows that Spiro has 431 senior staff, out of which 218 were hired over the last 12 months. 

• Spiro is however facing increasing competition in its key markets by other electric motorcycle startups, some of which have been in the markets longer than itself. For instance, Ampersand, operating in Rwanda and Kenya, operates 32 battery swap stations and serves over 1,700 customers. It plans to further expand its network.

• Uganda’s Gogo Electric, which makes both electric motorcycles and lithium-ion batteries, is also offering stiff competition. Last week, it raised $3 million equity funding from the Uganda Development Bank (UDB) to turbo-charge its expansion. Zembo, another Ugandan electric motorcycle startup, runs dozens of swapping stations, and also plans to expand its network.

• In Kenya, where it has a factory to assemble 50,000 motorcycles annually, Spiro is facing stiff competition from the likes of Roam Electric, ARC Ride, Zeno to name just a few. This stiff competition is helping drive down prices, which is boosting the adoption of electric motorcycles as they have now started to become economical. 

Our take

• While Spiro’s scale and rapid growth give it an edge, the presence of rivals in markets such as Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda is fostering innovation and pushing companies to lower costs and improve services. This competition ultimately benefits consumers by making EVs more economical and accessible.

• Despite its success, Spiro faces challenges in maintaining dominance as rivals like Ampersand and Gogo Electric continue to expand infrastructure and secure funding. To stay ahead, Spiro will need to innovate further, streamline operations, and explore new technologies such as automated systems for swapping stations.

• Competition for top talent among electric motorcycle companies in Africa is set to intensify, as rivals raid their competitors for unique skill sets. We could see more companies introduce academies like Spiro did in Kenya to train talent that can be readily absorbed in the market to plug any shortages.