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Why China’s King Long could dominate the bus market
Dear subscriber,
In a free market, the biggest does not always win. Instead, he who adapts best to what the market needs often does. China’s King Long is riding on the latter to win in Africa. Will it succeed?
Brian Ambani – Editor
 | Kenyan startup BasiGo has just unveiled four new locally-assembled electric buses. BasiGo has handed over the buses to two public transport operators. The buses were made with components from Chinese bus manufacturer King Long. BasiGo, which has deployed more than 100 buses in Kenya and Rwanda, has switched from BYD to King Long as its supplier. |
King Long has done numerous semi and completely-knocked-down (SKD and CKD) projects in Africa, which has seen it become the supplier of choice for assemblers like BasiGo. This differs from other electric bus companies like BYD, which focus on selling fully-built buses to the continent.
This positions King Long as a key player. It already has diesel bus assembly lines in countries like Nigeria and Egypt, which could make its transition to electric buses easier.
Our take: Electric bus companies that offer affordable prices, readily-available spare parts and maintenance will win… Read more (2 min)
 | Mobility Rising has identified 14 major events before year-end, five in Kenya and others in Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco and Egypt. The EV calendar is busy over the next four weeks, as stakeholders across the continent debate how to accelerate transport electrification. Starting on Wednesday is the EV & Mobility Show in Morocco. |
Nairobi will host five back-to-back events from November 26 to December 5, making it the ideal time to spend two weeks in the city.
The run wraps up on December 18 in Egypt, which will host two events. As Egypt competes with South Africa on four-wheeler electrification, these gatherings offer a front-row view of how North Africa’s EV landscape is evolving.
 | Ugandan electric mobility company Zembo is preparing to enter the Cameroonian market but has no immediate plans for Kenya, CEO James Obarowski said in an exclusive interview with Mobility Rising. Zembo is the sole supplier of electric bikes to Uber in Uganda, which recently launched electric ride-hailing services through a partnership with Greenwheels. |
Mr Obarowski is the founder and CEO of Zembo. He has over 20 years of experience in business development and marketing, having worked with leading organisations such as Pula, TechnoServe and Coca-Cola.
Zembo works with local OEMs like Simba Automotive to assemble bikes. Although assemblers enjoy lower taxes, Uganda lacks the ecosystem for true local fabrication, so the VAT exemption offers little practical benefit, says Mr Obarowski.
Samuel Gichuru becomes the first rider in Kenya to cross the 100,000 km mark on a Roam Air electric motorcycle in Kenya (Source: Roam)
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