Ghanaian startup Kofa, a forerunner in battery network solutions, has partnered TAILG Group, a leading electric vehicle brand from China, to launch the Jidi electric motorcycle, equipped with an innovative battery swap technology.
Kofa aims to create an affordable and customer-driven electricity network powered by portable batteries and renewable energy. Its Kofa Swap & Go system is a distributed network of batteries and swap stations that provides immediate access to a fully-charged battery in seconds.
The partnership with TAILG aims to deploy 200,000 electric vehicles and over 5,000 battery swap stations across Africa by 2030. The first orders of the battery swap electric motorcycle called Jidi are expected to arrive in Ghana at the end of 2023. Based on the advantages of Kofa batteries and battery swap networks, the Jidi will reduce rider costs by up to 30 per cent.
The Jidi is designed around Kofa’s extractable battery, which can achieve “unlimited battery range” by being swapped at any Kofa’s Swap & Go sites. Over the course of the year, Kofa’s swap network will accelerate deployment in Ghana, and by 2024, Kofa will invest in and build swap infrastructure in several new countries.
“This is a major milestone that will help accelerate EV adoption across Africa and play a major part in reducing urban pollution; motorcycles alone emit over 50 million tonnes of CO2 annually. TailG is the first major EV OEM entering Africa with a ready solution for scale by partnering with Kofa to provide the battery swap & go solution. We are really excited to help enable this,” said Erik Nygard, CEO of Kofa Technologies.
