Summary

Electric Tuktuks in Kenya

Thanks to atmosfair there are 20 electric “Sunny” tuktuks (three-wheelers) driving on the roads of the Kenyan coastal town of Diani south of Mombasa. Assembled and operated by atmosfair’s project partner Sunny Tuktuk, they driving 150 km daily without exhaust fumes and noise. They are not only popular with the passengers, who now can talk during the ride without straining. They also enable a higher income for the drivers as the electricity to charge it significantly cheaper than the Diesel fuel.

atmosfair has installed over 20 fast charging stations. The tuktuk drivers can charge their vehicles, e.g. during lunch break, in 2 ½ hours. Is no fast charging station available they can also charge at any normal wall socket at half speed. This enables them to charge at home or even reach the Tanzanian border some 70km away.

The drivers charge the tuktuks with grid electricity –  90% being from renewable energies (the East African Rift provides affordable geothermal energy) – and with excess solar electricity from atmosfair’s solar electric cooking systems for schools.

The tuk-tuks, or auto-rickshaws, familiar from India, are a very popular mode of transport along the Kenyan coast. Carrying three passengers and typically reaching a top speed of 55 km/h, these three-wheeled vehicles are flexible, significantly more compact, and cheaper than car taxis. They operate in a mix of scheduled, shared, and private transport. There are main stops and routes, but passengers can also hop on and off anywhere along the street. For an extra charge, the tuk-tuk will even take you directly to or from your doorstep. Thus, tuk-tuks provide a very flexible and efficient form of local transport.

E-Bike Pilot Projekt in Uganda

Since March 2022 atmosfair with its partners EURIST and FABIO is testing the use of E-Bikes as taxis in Jinja, Uganda within the scope of the African E-Bike project. With the 12 electric bicycles of the pilot subproject we want to find out how they stand the test of daily use, how large their CO2 emission savings are and how many kilometers the drivers cover each day.

In 2026 we are testing an upgraded version of the ebike, the AfricroozE 2.0 with more robust frame, stronger motor and larger battery. We want to se if these improvements translate to a higher daily driving distance and more CO2 emission reductions. With the first version of the ebike close to 40 km a day and 0.7t CO2 per year and bike were achieved.

So called boda boda bicycle taxis with a passenger seat mounted on the rear rack have been used in East Africa for decades. Similar motorcycle taxis under the same name, faster and with less exhaustion for the driver have replaced the bicycle version to an increasing degree – at the expense of more air and environmental pollution.

Thanks to the electric auxiliary engine, the E-Bikes can reach speeds of 30 km/h and can be a more ecological and – especially with the strongly increased fuel prices – a more cost effective alternative for the boda boda drivers.

Electric Car Taxis in Kenya

Since 2019 atmosfair, together with its partner EkoRent Africa Ltd, established Nopea Ride, Africa’s first all-electric taxi service in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. Started with initially 2 charging stations and 3 electric cars, Nopea Ride grew to 14 charging ports and 65 electric cars in the following 3 years.

After EkoRent Africa struggled already with Covid19 related significantly lower mileage of the electric taxis in 2020, the operation of the electric taxi service unfortunately had to be stopped in November 2022 after an unsuccessful financing round and the insolvency of the Finnish majority shareholder EkoRent OY.

Even though Nopea Ride was ultimately unable to establish itself in the Kenyan market, it is still an important pioneering project and was able to create awareness of the potential of electric mobility in local politics, business and the population. For example, the state-owned power utility now wants to promote electric mobility because of the positive health and environmental effects and because it allows the surplus, renewable electricity from geothermal and hydropower to be put to good use. The local market for electric city buses and electric motorcycles, in particular, has grown strongly in recent years.

Our Partners

Sunny Tuktuk Ltd. is a Kenyan company based in Diani. Its goal is to replace the more than 10,000 tuk-tuks operating along the Kenyan coast with electric vehicles. This will not only mean significantly less road noise and exhaust fumes, but also a reduction in CO2 emissions and an increased income for the tuk-tuk drivers.

EURIST e.V is a non-governmental organisation based in Hamburg, Germany, promoting policies that improve the environmental, social and economic sustainability of transport and mobility around the world. EURIST focuses on the relation between transport and CO2 emission reduction, transport and the Millennium Development Goals, Poverty Alleviation, Environmental Protection, Road Safety and Freight.

FABIO is a non-governmental organisation based in Jinja, Uganda, that seeks to promote the use of sustainable and eco-friendly transport solutions with major emphasis on active transport and mass public transport. We use the bicycle as a tool of social transformation for improving the livelihoods of the vulnerable communities through enhancing their access to basic services and opening up new economical chances.

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