16 nov 21
Fil d'Actus

Opibus: EV manufacturing in Africa wins massive investment

Image of Opibus EV conversion facility in Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi-based EV (electric vehicle) conversion start-up Opibus has raised $7.5 million (€6.62m) in capital to begin mass production of buses and motorcycles in 2022. Bloomberg reports that the capital raised is the largest, single investment win in the sector for Africa.

Founded in 2017 as a research project at a technical university in Sweden by Gardler, Filip Lövström and Mikael Gånge, Opibus focuses on all-electric conversion kits for fleet vehicles such as light trucks, public transport buses and motorcycles.

First venture into EV manufacturing

This is the company’s first venture into vehicle manufacturing and it will start with electric motorcycles and buses, while also developing charging and energy solutions for customers.

Kenya is the fastest growing nation in Sub-saharan Africa and has a burgeoning supply of very old, used vehicles, which means electric conversion makes sense.

Opibus told TechCrunch that initially the vehicles will be available in Kenya but the company has plans to increase production to serve the entire Africa continent in the near future.

Authored by: Alison Pittaway