Taxi-hailing platform, Uber, has launched Africa's first electric Boda in Kenya that will see riders save up to 20 per cent with drivers cutting up to 35 per cent in operation costs.

This is part of the firm's sustainable mobility agenda aimed at making it a zero-emissions platform by 2040.

In an exclusive interview with the Star, Imran Manji, head of Uber East Africa said the launch of electric motorcycles offers an affordable, comfortable and reliable means of mobility within the city, as well as a zero-emissions method to help drive green transformation in the country.

He said that using electric Boda will initially cost 15-20 per cent less than a regular Uber Boda trip, as going green should be accessible for everyone.

"It presents an even more exciting incentive to drivers as it presents an approximate 30-35 per cent reduction in running costs as fuel is one of the most significant costs,'' Manji said. 

"We are doing our part to aid the transition to eco-friendly mobility products and to support national sustainability objectives''. 

The launch comes at a time when the Kenyan government is rolling out the National Electric Mobility Plan, which focuses on creating a more green transportation system and rolling out diverse initiatives for sustainable road traffic management.

According to Manji, Kenya has a lot of idle renewable energy in its grid enough to cover the electric boda boda industry. 

Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) data shows Kenya’s installed capacity stood at 3,074.34 megawatts as of last June, up from 2,972 megawatts the previous year.

This is against a peak demand hit of 2,057 megawatts recorded on June 14 last year from 1,993.63 megawatts a year earlier. 

The latest audit report of Kenya Power shows that consumers paid a total of Sh15.9 billion in 2021 and 2022 for electricity that they never consumed due to the failure of the utility firm to offtake all the contracted quantities. 

Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu revealed that Kenya Power paid IPPs a total of Sh56.3 billion in 2021 for the supply of power worth Sh47.5 billion, about Sh8.8 billion or 15.8 per cent extra payment for the untapped electricity. 

It means that for every electricity worth Sh100, Sh15.8 went into paying idle power in 2021.

In 2022, the payments averaged Sh56.3 billion against a supplied power valued at Sh49.2 billion in 2022, meaning IPPs again gobbled an extra Sh7.1 billion for idle power, bringing the total in those two years to Sh15.9 billion.

According to the World Bank, the boda boda sector in Kenya employs over 1.5 million young people and contributes approximately Sh202 billion to the economy annually.

The launch also coincides with the inaugural Africa Climate Summit slated for September 4-6 in Nairobi where the continent is expected to forge a common purpose ahead of the Climate Change (COP28) to be held in Dubai in late November this year. 

Uber Electric Boda will initially be available in Nairobi, with plans to expand to other cities, enabling riders across the country to also access emissions-free trips.

According to Manji, the bikes have swappable lithium-ion batteries, fancy new displays, retractable mounts for smartphones, and cable locks in the rear.

"The swappable battery is perhaps the most game-changing feature. It distinguishes itself from other bike-share services by operating a fleet of solely electric-powered,'' he said. 

"With this new feature, Uber’s operations team can swap out depleted batteries for fully charged ones in just minutes, eliminating the need to remove the entire bike from the street each night for charging,'' Manji told the Star. 

The battery is custom-built, so it can pull real-time data from the bike while it is in use.

Uber is expected to set up 10 replacement points in Nairobi by the end of the year.