Ghanaian start-up Kofa, a pioneer in battery network solutions that is currently launching an e-bike in its home market, plans to bring its battery sharing solution to Kenya and Togo in the near future.
Bucket aims to create an affordable, customer-driven electricity grid powered by portable batteries and renewable energy sources. It has developed a multi-purpose high-capacity battery system called Kore2, alongside a battery-swapping network, as it attempts to promote a sustainable energy future in West Africa.
“Kofa’s core innovation lies in delivering high-performance power through its batteries, which are not only economical – being at least 30 percent more competitive than gasoline – but also flexible in their applications,” CEO Erik Nygard told Disrupt Africa.
The company’s charging and battery exchange network, currently expanding across Ghana, will soon support more than 100,000 battery exchanges per year, facilitating a seamless transition to clean energy for a variety of users. Kofa has collaborates strategically with TAIL-Ga globally recognized e-bike manufacturer, to design the Jidi e-bike, which is tailored for the African market.
The Jidi e-bike, equipped with Kofa’s Kore2 battery, has a range of over 100 km, meeting the region’s commuting needs with a sustainable solution. The startup has too partnered with Nigeria’s MAXa pioneer in electric vehicle solutions in Africa, in a deal that will see MAX offer financing options for over 2,000 revolutionary Jidi bikes.
Nygard said Kofa’s founding team had focused on the need to create the right infrastructure for electric vehicles in West Africa, namely multi-purpose batteries and a strong charging network. While other companies focused on bringing off-the-shelf electric vehicles to market, Kofa focused on creating a market for efficient batteries and the charging infrastructure to support battery users.
“Our primary competition is gasoline. Whether it is a small business losing money due to high prices of petrol generators, or a delivery driver traveling in Accra on a polluting motorbike, Kofa strives to solve the problems caused by existing petrol systems,” he said.
Kofa started operations in Ghana in 2021, with the Volta motorcycle, and deployed 40 of them in Accra to learn from the market. The second version is Jidi and since January this year the startup has deployed over 10 charging stations, 500 Kore2 batteries and 150 Jidis.
Nygard said there are 7,000 more bikes in the works and soon the company will be operating in four cities. It also plans to expand to Kenya and Togo in the near future. The startup has raised seed funding from the Shell Foundation, with support from the UK’s FCDO, Wangara Green Ventures and Mercy Corps Ventures.