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MAUTO, the leading electric motorbike and battery-swapping provider has signed a partnership agreement with the government of the Republic of Uganda for the deployment of more than 140,000 electric motorbikes and 3000 charging and swapping stations over five years.
The new brand identity of MAUTO is SPIRO, which launched in Africa in May 2022 and plans to expand into ten countries by 2030.
The partnership was signed between SPIRO Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Shegun Adjadi Bakari; Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, Minister of Works and Transport; Hon.Henry Musasizi, State Minister for Finance (General Duties) and Hon. Jackson Kafuuzi, the Deputy Attorney General.
According to Shegun Adjadi Bakari, who is also a Partner at the African Fund for Transformation and Industrialisation (ATIF), “Electric two-wheelers are the future of sustainable mobility in Africa. Our rollout speed – more than 4,500 electric motorbikes in less than a year of operation – and the commitment of the continent’s authorities, such as the one made today by HE. President Yoweri Museveni, demonstrate this.”
The signing, on March 30th in Kampala, is “an unprecedented step in the transition of African cities to more sustainable mobility”, according to a statement released by the company.
“This partnership, the first between an African government and a green mobility company on the continent, will create over 9,000 jobs. Additionally, an electric motorbike assembly plant will be built to promote “Made in Uganda”. Electric motorbikes will be affordable for future users thanks to this factory as they will be able to save up to 40%”, adds the company statement.
“The signing of this agreement is a demonstration of SPIRO’s commitment to contribute to the vision of Uganda and its President, which places the migration from fossil fuels to electric transport as one of its priorities. SPIRO aims to be the leading partner on the continent for countries that want to accelerate their transition to greener mobility,” further says in the statement.
The partnership targets mainly “boda-boda”⏤ motorbike taxi riders in and around the city.
“Boda-boda taxis now account for more than 40% of travel flows in Kampala and more in other cities across the country. By targeting these users, we are clearly demonstrating our commitment to addressing the climate and health challenges posed by the pollution associated with our current modes of transport,” Shegun Adjadi Bakari reiterates.
“In the coming weeks, we will launch our program to replace traditional motorbikes with electric motorbikes, as we are already doing in Benin, Togo and Rwanda. Ugandan drivers will be able to hand in their old motorbikes and leave with one of our new electric models. This is a first in Africa.”
SPIRO’s deployment relies on the support of investors such as ATIF, which has invested more than 50 million dollars in the start-up. Today, Mauto performs over 130,000 swaps from more than 250 operational battery-swapping stations per month across Benin, Togo, and Rwanda.
The motorbikes, according to the company, are “specially designed and adapted for the African market and the swapping technology allows users to easily travel with no range limits thanks to a battery swap station which takes 3 minutes to swap batteries, compared to the usual 3 hours for a standard charge’.
Mauto’s 4,500 motorbikes on the road have already travelled more than 22 million km with no CO2 emissions, the company says.
“Our ambition is to be the leading partner on the continent for countries that want to accelerate their transition to greener mobility. The signing of this agreement is a demonstration of our commitment to contribute to the vision of Uganda and its President, which places the migration from fossil fuels to electric transport as one of its priorities.”
SPIRO, which is present in Benin, Togo, and Rwanda since May 2022. The startup plans to expand into ten countries by 2030.