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October is transport month in South Africa. One of many highlights of the month is the Smarter Mobility Africa Summit presently being held in Midrand, close to Johannesburg. The Smarter Mobility Africa Summit is an annual gathering that evokes and connects visionary mobility resolution suppliers, thought leaders, key consumers, and decision-makers from enterprise and authorities to make mobility smarter and extra linked in Africa. It has a significant concentrate on electrical mobility and micromobility. One other thrilling improvement throughout this transport month is the primary ever 6000-kilometer solar-powered electrical motorbike journey from Nairobi, Kenya, to Stellenbosch, South Africa.
In partnership with Stellenbosch College, the Roam Air will journey 6,000 kilometers in an unprecedented showcase of African innovation and can be powered solely by photo voltaic power. This expedition marks the primary time an African-designed electrical motorbike will cowl such a distance. The journey goals to check the efficiency of Roam Air’s drivetrain, moveable charging twin batteries, in addition to a conveyable photo voltaic recharging resolution. The moveable photo voltaic charging resolution has a 14.3 kWh Balancell DC battery and 10x545W bifacial photo voltaic panels and can be transported in a help automotive.
The initiative is a partnership between Roam and Stellenbosch College’s College of Engineering. Researchers on the college’s Electrical Mobility Lab are desirous to see how Roam Air performs in long-distance situations, far past its city design. The undertaking may even contribute precious insights into the way forward for electrical mobility in Africa. The Roam Air will journey by way of Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, and Botswana, earlier than reaching Stellenbosch by October 18th. Two solar-powered autos will accompany the motorbike, making certain the Roam Air batteries are charged completely by the solar all through the expedition.
PhD candidate Stephan Lacock and Roam’s Product Proprietor Masa Kituyi will journey the motorbike, capturing real-world efficiency knowledge over various terrain. “This journey isn’t just about whether it can be done — it’s about showing that African innovation, powered by solar energy, can overcome the continent’s unique challenges,” mentioned Lacock. Along with Roam, the analysis staff will concentrate on testing the efficiency of Roam Air’s drivetrain, moveable charging know-how, and photo voltaic recharging methods. The motorbike’s journey will present a novel alternative to evaluate its reliability and effectivity over an prolonged distance beneath numerous environmental situations.
The Roam Air, constructed with the African terrain in thoughts, will exhibit its versatility because it takes on this long-distance journey. “This journey showcases Kenya’s ability to design and locally manufacture world-class electric vehicles for African conditions. It’s a testament to local innovation, leading the way in sustainable mobility solutions,” remarked Masa Kituyi.
The collaboration between SU and Roam goals to advance electrical mobility options that aren’t solely sustainable, but additionally sensible for African situations. This expedition was made doable by way of the help of SANED by way of the LEAP-RE undertaking, Throttle Pitstop, Scatec, Balancell, Voetspore, Tracks for Africa, Bush Lapa, and Charlie’s Travels, all of which contribute to the success of this journey. The undertaking goals to focus on the potential of solar-powered transport in Africa and exhibit that electrical bikes can full long-distance journeys with renewable power.
The journey can be documented and there are plans to provide a documentary showcasing the challenges and improvements that emerge as an example the potential for solar-powered mobility throughout the continent. It would culminate in Stellenbosch on October 18th, in time for the College’s Electrical Mobility Day celebration. Throughout the occasion, SU’s Electrical Mobility Lab will formally launch on the Sustainability Institute, marking a big step ahead within the improvement of electrical mobility in Africa. A spotlight of the occasion would be the handover of a retrofitted 65-seater electrical bus to Golden Arrow Bus Service, in addition to the formal presentation of the Roam Air motorbike to the Electrical Mobility Lab.
Electrical bikes are gaining traction in Kenya’s motorbike taxi and on-demand supply sectors. 2023 was the primary time that Kenyan motorbike gross sales noticed a noticeable enhance within the share of electrical bikes in total new registrations. In 2023, there have been 70,691 bikes offered in Kenya, and a pair of,557 of those have been electrical. Which means 3.6% of bikes offered in 2023 in Kenya have been electrical, which is sort of 4%. Quickly the market share will attain the crucial 5% which is usually considered because the tipping level indicating the beginning of mass adoption.
Photographs courtesy of Roam and Stellenbosch College.
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