Kenya-based EV start-up Roam Motors launches 77-seater electric bus

The bus, dubbed "Roam Rapid" by the Swedish start-up, will have a range of 360 kilometers and a top speed of 70 kilometers per hour thanks to a 384 kWh battery.

The bus, which was built in Nairobi, will run along Mombasa Road, Waiyaki Way, and the Thika Super Superhighway.

Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) chairperson Julius Opio stated during the launch on Wednesday that the launch should pave the way for the production of more EV buses to help revitalize Kenya's transportation sector.

KCCI has advocated for and raised awareness of e-mobility through discussions with stakeholders, according to Opio.

"One of the things we have been engaging in the former government on is physical and non-physical incentives that we would like to see the government offer our members because we want to see the mass production of electric vehicles and motorcycles," he said during the launch at the Nairobi GreenPark Terminus.

"We did this by engaging various stakeholders, the government and its ministries of Transport, Energy, and Finance on issues that have arisen in this new sector."

The current impediment, however, is the taxation of lithium iron batteries, which, if revised, will allow for local manufacturing and assembly of EVs, according to Opio.

He called on the government to address the regulation of tax tariffs and infrastructure developments.

Roam Motors is also expected to launch an electric motorbike called “Roam Air” on the road by 2023. 

The motorcycle is expected to have a range of 200 kilometers and a top speed of 90 kilometers per hour.

The launch lies in the backdrop of the launch of another 25-seater EV bus by Kenyan start-up BasiGo in March, 2022.

As part of the partnership program, Citi Hoppa will provide buses between the city center and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, while East Shuttle will provide buses along the Eastlands Routes.