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Spiro, Africa’s largest electric mobility company, has signed a partnership with Yadea, the world’s leading manufacturer of electric two-wheelers.
The partnership will combine Yadea’s global manufacturing and R&D expertise with Spiro’s battery-swapping network across seven African countries, targeting millions of riders, fleet operators and delivery businesses in some of the continent’s fastest-growing mobility markets.
“When we launched Spiro, our mission was to lay the energy and mobility foundation for Africa’s green transition. Our strategic partnership with Yadea is a major endorsement of our execution to date and opens fantastic opportunities to jointly pioneer the next era of electric mobility in emerging markets,” said Gagan Gupta, founder of Spiro and Chairman of Equitane.
Founded in 2014, Spiro operates the continent’s largest and fastest-growing battery-swapping network for electric two-wheelers across seven African markets: Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Cameroon. The company has deployed more than 130,000 electric motorcycles and over 2,500 swap stations, recording more than 50 million battery swaps and over two billion kilometres of low-carbon travel to date. It runs assembly facilities in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda, alongside a battery recycling plant in Nigeria.
Under the partnership, Yadea will supply electric two-wheelers and other EV products customised for Spiro’s regional markets, while Spiro folds the vehicles into its proprietary battery-swapping and energy infrastructure. The two companies will also co-develop two-wheeler platforms engineered specifically for African road conditions and commercial use, deepening what the companies describe as a broader China-Africa mobility connection.
Spiro says the partnership will also help shorten the path from vehicle production to rider adoption by combining its operating experience and swap infrastructure with Yadea’s manufacturing scale, which has sold more than 100 million vehicles in over 100 countries.
Wang Jiazhong, Senior Vice President of Yadea Technology Group, said, “Africa represents a massive frontier for zero-emission transport. Our mission to reduce carbon emissions has reached a powerful milestone through this partnership with Spiro.”
The Yadea partnership arrives as Spiro closes out a $270 million funding round, anchored by a $215 million raise from Impact Fund Denmark, Equitane and FEDA, and topped up with $55 million from Chinese fund NewTrails Capital, pushing its valuation toward $1 billion. The capital, along with its acquisition of India-based engineering firm Coexlion and the opening of a seventh mega battery-swap station in Rwanda, are helping the company deepen local manufacturing and expand into new markets.
Last week, Spiro Kenya was certified to ISO 9001:2015, an international standard for quality management systems. The company said the certification reflects discipline across its battery-swapping stations, electric two-wheeler fleet, and operational, technical and support teams, and underscores its commitment to protecting riders, technicians and the communities it serves as it expands its electric mobility and smart energy footprint in Kenya.
With backing from a Chinese fund and a partnership with Yadea, Spiro is once again leading Africa’s shift to electric mobility and compressing the timeline for the transition. It is also simultaneously laying the energy and mobility foundation for the continent’s green transition.
