Electric Vehicles Are in Town

By Ndaba Sibanda

I hear great news, I hear some drivers
are doubling their incomes and cruising
and smiling all the way to the bank.
I hear that Spiro, an electric bike startup
is set to modernise transportation in Africa.

Are the days of polluting vehicles numbered?
The company is already operating in Benin,
Togo and Rwanda. With 1. 2 million electric vehicles
set to be deployed in Kenya, the concern is making inroads
into that nation’s road network, boosting the movement
of people or goods. Motorists can exchange their old bikes
for the eco-friendly electric ones. The operating costs are lower.

I picture old bikes being recycled, materials repurposed.
There is talk of a drop in fuel and maintenance costs,
of swift battery substitutes via battery swap stations.