Roam’s new open-standard EV charging network for motorcycles and tuk‑tuks in Kenya shows how smart, shared infrastructure can rapidly clean up urban transport.
Kenya just took a quiet but serious step toward cleaner cities: Roam has launched a public charging network built for electric motorcycles and tuk‑tuks, with support for other light electric vehicles (LEVs) baked in from day one.
This matters because two- and three-wheelers aren’t niche in East Africa—they are the transport system. In Nairobi and other cities, motorcycles and tuk‑tuks move millions of people and tons of goods every day, while burning fossil fuel at street level where people live and breathe. If you care about green technology that actually shifts emissions in the real world, this is where the action is.
Here’s the thing about Roam’s move: it’s not just another EV charging story. It’s about building a practical, scalable backbone for clean transport in emerging markets—using open standards, smart hardware, and eventually AI-driven optimization—to make electric mobility the default, not the exception.
Why Electric Motorcycles and Tuk‑Tuks Are a Big Climate Win
Electric motorcycles and tuk‑tuks in Kenya deliver more climate impact per dollar than luxury EVs in wealthy countries.
Here’s why they matter so much:
- They dominate the streets. In Kenya, boda bodas (motorcycle taxis) account for a huge share of daily trips and last‑mile deliveries.
- They’re relatively cheap to electrify. Compared to cars or buses, two- and three-wheelers need smaller batteries, less power, and simpler components.
- They cut both CO₂ and local air pollution. Switching a single combustion motorcycle to electric can save hundreds of kilograms of CO₂ per year and slash tailpipe pollutants right where pedestrians and street vendors work.
From a green technology perspective, this is a classic high-impact, low-friction transition: you get fast emissions reductions, visible air quality improvements, and economic benefits for drivers—if you solve the charging problem.
And that’s exactly the gap Roam is targeting.
What Roam Is Building: A National LEV Charging Spine
Roam’s new charging network is designed as shared infrastructure for all light electric vehicles, not just its own models. That’s the crucial strategic choice.
Type 6 connectors and open-charge standards
Roam’s stations are equipped with Type 6 connectors and open-charge standards, which means:
- Any compatible electric motorcycle can plug in
- Electric tuk‑tuks get access to the same fast chargers
- Light electric passenger cars and other LEVs can use the network too, as models enter the market
Open standards avoid the “walled garden” problem that has slowed EV adoption in other regions. If you’re a fleet operator or a startup building new LEV models for Africa, you don’t want 5 different proprietary plugs and 10 different apps. Interoperability is non-negotiable.
The network is planned to expand nationwide by 2026, with Type 6 fast chargers rolled out across key corridors and urban hubs. That timeline aligns with Kenya’s broader push around:
- Growing renewable generation (especially geothermal and solar)
- Supporting local EV assembly and manufacturing
- Reducing fuel import bills and improving energy security
The reality? When the charging spine exists, hardware innovation can move faster, because startups don’t have to build their own charging islands.
How This Fits the Bigger Green Technology Picture
Roam’s charging network may look like a transport story, but it’s also a textbook example of how green technology, AI, and smart infrastructure fit together.
Smarter charging with data and AI
As the network grows, Roam and other operators can use AI-driven tools to make the system:
- Cheaper to run – by predicting demand and shifting non-urgent charging to off-peak hours
- More reliable – by forecasting component failures and scheduling preventive maintenance
- Greener by design – by aligning charging schedules with periods of high renewable generation
In practice, that can mean things like:
- A fleet of delivery motorcycles charging mostly at night when demand is low
- Chargers in areas with strong solar output prioritizing daytime top-ups
- Dynamic pricing that nudges users to charge when the grid is cleanest and least congested
That’s very much in line with the theme of this Green Technology series: AI isn’t just about fancy models—it’s about making infrastructure smarter, cleaner, and more efficient.
From pilot projects to a system
Most companies get green technology wrong by staying stuck in pilot mode: one cool demo here, a flashy prototype there. Roam’s move is different because it’s explicitly about system-building:
- Standardized connectors
- Interoperable hardware
- A national build‑out plan
- Integration with existing grid infrastructure
That’s what you need if you want emissions to actually drop, not just generate nice press photos.
What This Means for Riders, Fleets, and Cities
The impact of a shared LEV charging network shows up differently for individual riders, businesses, and city planners—but the benefits stack together.
For riders and drivers
For a motorcycle taxi rider in Nairobi, the economics are straightforward:
- Fuel is one of the biggest operating costs
- Electric motorcycles are typically more efficient per kilometer
- Access to fast charging or battery swapping means less downtime
When a driver can:
- Charge quickly at a reliable station
- Pay a predictable rate per kWh
- Avoid constant maintenance on engines and clutches
…their daily earnings go up. That’s where green technology stops being a “nice idea” and becomes a direct income story.
For delivery and logistics fleets
E‑commerce, food delivery, and urban logistics in Kenya are all leaning heavily on motorcycles and tuk‑tuks. A national charging backbone lets fleet operators:
- Plan optimized charging schedules and routes
- Track energy use and emissions reductions with real numbers
- Scale from 10 to 1,000 vehicles without rebuilding infrastructure from scratch
If you’re running a fleet, you can start asking practical questions like:
- How much CO₂ are we cutting per delivery route?
- What’s the payback period if we electrify 30% of our fleet in 2026?
- Where should we locate depots relative to public chargers to minimize dead miles?
When public infrastructure is predictable, internal planning gets much easier.
For cities and regulators
Urban planners and policymakers get three big wins from EV charging for LEVs:
- Cleaner air in dense neighborhoods – especially around markets, bus stages, and congested corridors.
- Better data – charging networks can provide anonymized insights about mobility patterns, peak travel times, and charging behavior.
- Policy levers that actually work – cities can combine incentives (reduced fees, access to certain lanes, or parking benefits) with robust charging access to accelerate adoption.
The combination of policy + infrastructure + smart technology is what turns climate targets into reality.
Practical Takeaways for Businesses Looking at EVs in Africa
If you’re a business leader, fleet manager, or founder watching this space, Roam’s charging network in Kenya sends some useful signals.
1. Don’t wait for a perfect network
You don’t need 100% coverage to start piloting EVs:
- Begin with routes or regions where chargers already exist
- Use hybrid strategies: overnight depot charging plus public fast charging during the day
- Focus first on high-mileage segments (delivery, ride-hailing, courier services), where the economics are strongest
2. Prioritize interoperability from day one
Locking yourself into a proprietary ecosystem in a young market is risky.
Look for:
- Vehicles that support open or widely used connector types (such as Type 6 for LEVs in East Africa)
- Charging platforms that can integrate with different OEMs
- Software that exposes APIs or data exports, so you’re not stuck in one vendor’s dashboard forever
Interoperability isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s what protects your investment.
3. Use data to build the business case
If you’re testing electric motorcycles or tuk‑tuks in Kenya or similar markets, track:
- Cost per kilometer (electric vs. petrol)
- Maintenance frequency and cost
- Average daily downtime
- Charging behavior (where, when, how long)
With three to six months of good data, you can:
- Quantify emissions reductions for sustainability reporting
- Make a serious case to investors or internal finance teams
- Benchmark performance across different vehicle models or use cases
4. Plug into the wider green technology stack
This charging network doesn’t live in isolation. You can connect it with:
- Solar and storage at depots to cut operating costs and improve resilience
- AI route optimization to align deliveries with charging availability
- Telematics and IoT for real‑time tracking of vehicles and chargers
The businesses that win here won’t just buy electric motorcycles—they’ll rewire their operations around a smarter, cleaner mobility backbone.
Where This Goes Next: From Kenya to a Continental Blueprint
Roam’s Kenya network isn’t just about one country; it’s a template for how Africa can leapfrog straight into electric, data‑driven mobility.
Over the next few years, expect to see:
- More regional standardization around connector types and payment systems
- Integration with renewable-heavy grids, especially as geothermal, wind, and solar grow
- AI-powered planning tools for governments to decide where the next chargers should go for maximum impact
For our Green Technology series, this story sits at the intersection of everything that actually matters:
- Clean energy powering real-world use cases
- Smart infrastructure that multiple players can share
- Practical, profitable pathways for businesses to cut emissions
If you’re exploring green technology investments or planning an EV strategy, treat Kenya’s LEV charging rollout as a live case study. Watch how fast operators electrify their fleets once the infrastructure puzzle pieces click into place.
Because the big shift won’t come from one heroic technology. It’ll come from thousands of electric motorcycles and tuk‑tuks quietly plugging into a network like this—day after day—until fossil fuel vehicles simply don’t make sense anymore.