Charge Up! An exciting new collaborative project between Energy 4 Impact, Arc Ride, Fika Mobility, Imperial College London and Strathmore University has been awarded $300K by Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) to test the commercial viability of their battery-as-a-service model. By doing so, the project will help accelerate the e-mobility transition in Kenya and the wider region, bringing cleaner and more sustainable modes of transport to sub-Saharan Africa.

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By establishing a network of 45 charging stations across Nairobi over the next 12 months, the project will provide convenient, affordable battery swaps for e-scooters/electric boda-boda. Charge Up! aims to develop a business model that is replicable and scalable in any other African city.

With data from 285+ vehicles and 45 charging/swapping sites, the partnership aims to create a viable battery swap business model that can provide a risk-free return on investment for commercial partners within three years. By project closure, Charge Up! will have generated sufficient evidence to prove the viability of ARC Ride’s plans to scale up the provision of battery-as-a-service in Nairobi, with the aim of duplicating the business model across more East African cities. The pilot project will generate outputs such as:

• A master plan for a larger network of electric vehicle charging stations and their optimal sites across Nairobi.
• Quantify localised pollution avoided and carbon emissions saved.
• Recommendations for necessary legislation to enable mass adoption of electric vehicles in Nairobi.
• Develop a “business in a box” that provides a value proposition to potential charging stations operators.

Charge Up! is one of the 19 new public-private partnerships that P4G are funding through their latest round. P4G is a global platform pioneering green partnerships to build sustainable and resilient economies. P4G provides catalytic grant funding and customized support in the form of commercial guidance, knowledge sharing and engagement from investors and policymakers.  By providing pivotal support at an early stage, it accelerates innovative solutions for green and inclusive growth in developing countries.

P4G focuses on breakthrough solutions in five Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) areas: food and agriculture, water, energy, cities and the circular economy. Mobilising its global ecosystem, P4G will enable these market-based partnerships to deliver impacts such as reduced carbon emissions, improved livelihoods for smallholders, clean water and energy access for communities, stronger e-mobility solutions, less plastic and food waste, and well as leverage the increased investment needed to expand and scale these solutions.