One of Africa’s leading e-mobility startups is shifting strategy in response to mounting competition from Chinese manufacturers, its CEO told Semafor.
Ampersand, a Rwanda and Kenya-based manufacturer of electric motorcycles and batteries, will make its network of roughly 70 charging and battery-swap stations open to drivers of motorcycles from competing manufacturers, the company said on Monday, the first startup in Africa’s increasingly crowded e-mobility scene to make that move.
The reason, CEO Josh Whale said, was a recognition that the company’s motorcycle manufacturing line is struggling to compete against the economies of scale that China-based competitors, which are rushing into African markets, can achieve. “Going toe to toe with those guys wasn’t a long-term sustainable strategy,” he said. Ampersand has a more defensible edge, he said, when it comes to the design and production of batteries and related software, and the operation of swap stations. Chinese manufacturer Wylex will be the first whose bikes will be compatible with Ampersand batteries, Whale said; others will be added to the roster soon.