FundingMobility

Uganda’s Electric Mobility Startup, Zembo, Lands US$3.4m From Toyota, DOB Equity, and InfraCo Africa

Zembo, a Ugandan-based electric motorcycle startup, has just received a $3.4mn (€3mn) investment from Mobility 54 Investment SAS, a corporate venture capital subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho Corporation and CFAO group, DOB Equity, and InfraCo Africa to help it grow its businesses the country.

The new funding will go toward increasing the number of motorcycles, by about 2,000, and the installation of more than 60 charging and battery swapping stations across Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Its motorcycles cover 37 miles (60km) on a single charge.

Mobility 54 said it will help the startup to scale its operations across Africa “by leveraging the group’s (Toyota’s) automotive footprint throughout the continent.” Additionally, Mobility 54 will work with Zembo to forge new partnerships, especially for its battery and solar panel businesses — an area in which the startup anticipates the greatest growth.

Read also: Egyptian e-commerce startup, Efreshli, lands S$550k to scale its operations

“Mobility 54’s investment in Zembo envisions to accelerate the carbon neutrality in Africa by electrification of the mobility industry. Toyota Tsusho and CFAO group will contribute to deploying Zembo’s business in Africa by leveraging the group’s automotive footprints throughout the continent,” Mobility 54 said in a statement.

“We’re excited to partner with impact-focused institutions like InfraCo Africa, DOB Equity, and Mobility 54 to continue developing electric boda bodas (motorcycles) and charging stations for our customers,” said Zembo co-founder, Étienne Saint-Sernin.

“Zembo’s mission to improve incomes for Uganda’s boda boda riders while cutting air pollution is shared by our supporters and is a driving force for this partnership. We look forward to continuing to serve our customers and making sustainable mobility a reality in Uganda,” he said.

Zembo assembles the electric motorcycles in Uganda and works with external financial institutions to sell them through rent-to-own plans. Its battery-as-a-service model allows riders to swap discharged batteries with fully charged ones at a fee.

InfraCo Africa’s CEO, Gilles Vaes, said “… Zembo has a great track record of delivering electric two-wheeler vehicles to the market and our joint effort with DOB Equity and Mobility 54 to scale and develop the business will expand the company’s ability to cut urban air pollution, create jobs and promote economic development in Kampala. The project also aligns with global efforts to improve air quality and to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century.”

InfraCo Africa, part of Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), which is funded by six governments and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), provides funding and expertise to infrastructure projects, while DOB Equity is a Dutch family-backed investor with an interest in East Africa.

Motorcycle taxis are popular across Africa and are widely used in major cities like Kampala. However, they are regarded as a major source of noise and air pollution, problems that would be addressed by a transition to electric power.

Zembo Storm motorcycles are one of the many businesses that are rising in African markets to offer e-mobility solutions as cleaner travel options.

A switch to electric power also holds the promise of lowering carbon emissions, which contribute greatly to the climate change problems that the world is working to address.

What You Need To Know About Zembo

Zembo, a French startup with operations in Uganda, was founded in 2018 and sells electric motorcycles through a lease-to-own program. It also operates a network of solar charging and battery swapping stations in the East African country.

Zembo’s model not only increases the number of electric motorcycle taxis on Kampala’s roads, but also eliminates the need for drivers to purchase or own batteries or wait for them to be charged; instead, they simply swap a discharged battery for a fully charged one at one of Zembo’s battery swap stations and continue their journey. Uganda’s national grid is powered by renewable energy to the tune of 92 percent, and the addition of off-grid solar PV charging stations will further assure that automobiles are actually cutting emissions.

Read the original article here

Nichole Manhire

Is the media and brand manager at GFA News. She works very closely with editors and podcasters that contribute to telling the African business success story. For marketing and advertising send Nichole an email: nichole@getfundedafrica.com

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