Ampersand Energy, a Rwandan electric mobility startup, has opened its battery-swap network to any global electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer that meets its standards, to drive adoption of electric mobility across Africa’s commercial motorcycle markets. It’s a big step for a startup that has designed its own e-bikes, built its own batteries, and run its own swap stations.
So, what’s this battery-swap network? It’s an energy grid built for commercial motorcycles. Instead of a rider parking their bike for hours to charge, they can pull into a swap station, unlock the empty battery, slot it out, and slide in a fully charged one. Ampersand owns the batteries, maintains them, charges them, and tracks their performance through software. Riders never have to worry about battery health, charging time, electricity access, or degradation.
By opening this network, Ampersand is saying the EV market belongs to those who control the energy layer, and that layer is lucrative. The company already does over 20,000 swaps daily, each costing riders about $2 for roughly 80 km.
Why does this matter? It means that riders won’t lose money while waiting for their bikes to charge. The batteries may also last longer because Ampersand manages them properly. This swapping network solves an essential infrastructure problem in Africa’s EV market: the lack of charging infrastructure.
Wylex Mobility, an established Asian EV manufacturer, is the first to join Ampersand’s open network. The foreign e-mobility company is bringing the hardware e-bike parts, while Ampersand will supply batteries, control software, and access to swap stations. As part of the partnership, Ampersand will also assemble Wykex’s bikes at its Nairobi factory.
Yet by opening up its infrastructure to other e-mobility players, Ampersand could be directly enabling them to compete. The Rwandan startup says it is fine with that, as it believes providing easy access to charging infrastructure will increase EV uptake in East Africa.
