Jules Samain, CEO of Spiro, a major electric two-wheelers vehicle company in Africa, is arriving in Kigali on July 19. Spiro launched operations in Rwanda three months ago, dealing in electric two-wheelers and charging stations. This is part of the company’s efforts to accelerate the access to affordable and clean energy technology in the mobility sector.
Ahead of his visit, Samain talked to The New Times about topics like the future of electric two-wheelers, the company’s work in Rwanda, and so on.
Spiro launched operations in Rwanda three months ago. Where do you stand in terms of business and development in the country ?
Spiro in Africa now has almost 10,000 motorbikes. We opened in Rwanda three months ago with 43 motorbikes and we now have 300 active motorbikes in Kigali. Our aim is to have 3,000 before the end of the year.
At the heart of Spiro's development is the "swapping station" concept. Why is this important?
The biggest obstacle to the use of electric two-wheelers is the fear of not having enough energy to make the journey. Spiro has addressed this problem and improved the user experience with a very fine network of stations that we call "swapping stations" throughout the urban area.
Take Kigali as an example: today we have 30 swapping stations in Kigali, soon to be 50. Our rapid success is due to the availability of batteries. It's simple: you turn up and within seconds you've swapped your battery. The battery is at the heart of our business model. Since our launch in April 2022, we have passed the 2 million swap milestone.
The cost of access to electric two-wheelers is a major issue for consumers. How are you addressing this?
We have set up a programme that is unique in the world: drivers of internal combustion motorbike taxis can exchange their internal combustion motorbike for an electric motorbike without spending a single penny. We are doing this because we are convinced that the energy transition does not have to be an economic punishment. Quite the opposite.
Made in Africa is now at the heart of a number of electric vehicle initiatives on the continent. What is Spiro doing in this area to produce in Africa?
We are in the process of signing several strategic partnerships around the battery. We've just signed a deal with Ampace, one of the world leaders in the supply of battery cells. On the other hand, we have just signed an agreement with Horwin, which is also a world leader in electric mobility, to enable the assembly of electric motorbikes. And this assembly will take place in Africa.
We are in the process of creating powerful levers so that tomorrow production can be set up in several African countries simultaneously. Spiro's scalability makes all the difference to our competitors: we really are able to respond to market needs while producing in Africa.
Africa has an abundance of rare minerals for batteries, but most of them still come from Asia. Do you have confidence in Africa's ability to become the leader in electric batteries in Africa?
I want to see a 100% African battery in the future. It will be possible, and we're going to do everything we can to make it happen. The Africa of tomorrow will either be industrial or it won't be. We need to be innovative, bold and proud of our successes. But for that we need investment. And Spiro is in the process of mobilising this investment to turn this wish into an economic reality.
Why did you choose Rwanda after an initial development phase in West Africa?
Spiro's success, with 300 motorbikes sold in 3 months, proves that this is where things happen. In 20 years, Kigali has become the vibrant heart of innovation and an ecological model for the whole of Africa.
We need to feel that vibe and optimise our technological and economic model for a demanding audience. The Kigali lifestyle is an inspiration for us, for our engineers and our designers, to create models adapted to urban life.