Spiro partners with Petrocity to accelerate electric vehicle charging in Africa
Spiro, Africa's largest electric vehicle (EV) player, has announced an ambitious partnership with Petrocity, one of Kenya's best known fuel station operators. This collaboration is set to enhance Spiro's innovative automatic smart battery swap station network, facilitating their installation across Petrocity's strategic locations throughout Kenya.
This latest move is pivotal in Spiro's ongoing efforts to build a Pan-African smart energy ecosystem, offering a more sustainable and accessible electric mobility solution across the continent.
Strategic Deployment of Swap Stations
Through this partnership, Spiro aims to leverage Petrocity's extensive network, installing new swap stations on forecourts to ensure greater accessibility for EV users in Kenya.
Starting from the end of February, Spiro will launch automatic swap stations across its operating countries, including Kenya, Benin, Togo, and Rwanda, with plans to inaugurate 50 more sites in the forthcoming weeks. This expansion includes strategic locations within Petrocity's network, significantly boosting the reach and convenience of Spiro's services. New automated smart swap stations connect riders to Spiro's pan Africa smart energy network, and allow battery swaps in less than a minute.
Enhancing Africa’s Largest EV Network
Spiro is setting the standard for electric mobility in Africa, with over 40,000 batteries, 7 million successful battery swaps, and more than 600 swap stations across the continent. The company's battery swapping model is designed for efficiency and user convenience, allowing riders to exchange depleted batteries for fully charged ones quickly, thus ensuring continuous and efficient travel without the long charging times.
Safety and Technology at the Forefront
The safety of riders and the longevity of batteries are paramount, managed meticulously through Spiro's State of Charge (SoC) technology. Operated by Spiro's dedicated tech team in Pune, the SoC system ensures batteries are optimally charged and maintained, reducing risks and underwriting concerns associated with battery performance and life span.
Samir Misra, Head of R&D/Engineering explains, "Our automatic swap stations, paired with Spiro batteries, represent the pinnacle of safety and quality in the EV market. These stations are designed to offer our customers a seamless and secure experience, ensuring that every swap delivers not just a fully charged battery, but one that meets the highest standards of performance and reliability. At Spiro, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of technology to provide solutions that are not only innovative but also trustworthy and efficient. We are setting a new benchmark for electric mobility across Africa."
Innovations in User Experience
Anticipation builds as Spiro prepares to launch its smart app, designed to significantly enhance the rider experience with features like GPS mapping and comprehensive functionality, seamlessly integrating with Spiro's Pan-African smart energy ecosystem. This development is a testament to Spiro's commitment to not only advancing EV technology but also ensuring the safety, convenience, and satisfaction of its users.
Spiro's automatic smart swap stations will soon begin to appear at some of Petrocity's 16 fuel stations in Kenya, with at least 50 more in Uganda.
Strategic Partnership Approach
Spiro's partnership strategy is intrinsically linked to its tech stack and vision for a Pan-African smart energy ecosystem. This approach is designed to foster collaborations that provide access to asset finance, swap station franchises, fleet delivery, and more, enabling a comprehensive network of services that support the growth and accessibility of EVs across Africa.
By working with respected partners like Petrocity, Spiro is able to amplify its impact and reach, driving forward the development of the EV and clean energy sectors on the continent.
"We at Petrocity are immensely proud to partner with Spiro, Africa's largest EV player, in this transformative journey towards sustainable mobility” said Petrocity Managing Director Aman Kurji.
Petrocity director Ihrar Kurji added, "This collaboration signifies our shared commitment to reducing carbon emissions and promoting green energy solutions across Africa. Together, we are setting a new standard for energy infrastructure and mobility, paving the way for a cleaner, more sustainable future."
Building on a Foundation of Strategic Partnerships
This announcement follows a series of strategic partnership formations, including collaborations with Jali in Rwanda and both Mogo and Watu in Kenya, underscoring Spiro's commitment to establishing a robust Pan-African smart energy ecosystem. These partnerships aim to provide unprecedented access to asset finance, enabling the rapid deployment of Spiro's innovative swap stations and fostering a sustainable EV market across Africa.
"Africa's electric mobility landscape is transforming, and our partnership with Petrocity marks a significant milestone in this journey," says Kaushik Burman, CEO of Spiro. "This collaboration, along with our recent partnerships with Jali, Mogo, and Watu, exemplifies our commitment to revolutionizing the EV sector. We expect to rapidly deploy more automatic swap stations and will be announcing more exciting partnerships soon, further solidifying our position as Africa's largest EV player."
