Electrifying privately owned buses in Kenya

One company is seeking to revolutionise e-mobility with its Pay-As-You-Drive scheme for electric buses

Spotted: With the population in Africa’s cities growing day by day, the need for a thriving mobility network has never been more important. Responding to the growing population with diesel vehicles, however, is not a sustainable solution for our planet. To enable African mobility to flourish in an eco-friendly way, Kenyan startup BasiGo’s electric vehicles (EVs) and unique financing scheme may be the answer.  

BasiGo’s electric solution is founded on its K6 e-bus – a fully electric vehicle with 25 seats, a range of 250 kilometres, and a recharge time of less than 4 hours. So far, the K6 has carried 468,000 passengers and avoided 152.2 tonnes of CO2 emissions. 

However, beyond the K6, BasiGo has looked to overcome the biggest obstacle to electric bus adoption: high upfront costs. The company’s Pay-As-You-Drive model allows customers to buy an electric bus at a price similar to a diesel one. The operator then pays a KSh 20 (€0.13) per kilometre subscription fee to BasiGo, which covers leasing the E-bus battery, charging at BasiGo stations, and maintenance and service provided by the BasiGo team. This is a significant difference from the current fuel cost of KSh 30-50 (€0.20 – €0.33) per kilometre for diesel fuel alone that Nairobi bus operators are paying. 

BasiGo secured a total of $10.9 million in funding (around €10 million) for 2022. With this, BasiGo can start commercial delivery of locally manufactured electric buses and charging infrastructure for its Pay-As-You-Drive financing plan. 

Springwise has spotted other innovations aimed at improving e-mobility in the archive, from a company set to provide wireless charging for autonomous e-buses and a startup that has made EV charging three times as efficient.

Written By: Georgia King