Ghanaian e-bike startup Kofa, which is pioneering Africa’s first multi-use, swappable battery network, has announced the planned launch of its second-generation Kore 2 Swap & Go network.
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.
Backed by Shell Foundation, the UK’s FCDO, Wangara Green Ventures, and Mercy Corps Ventures, Kofa launched Ghana’s first connected battery swap network, around its Kore1 battery in early 2023.
It then began building the Kore2 network, which incorporates significant advancements. This groundbreaking system, powered by proprietary IoT with full Edge AI capability, is poised to transform the urban energy access landscape in West Africa by working as a support and offset to the incumbent electricity grid.
These enhancements, attributed to Kofa’s upgraded IoT platform, allows for fully autonomous battery swapping, even in areas with low or no internet connectivity. The AI powered network’s capabilities facilitate substantial customer savings by enabling a high degree of automation and auto-repairing features.
The Kore2 battery has a variety of uses and delivers high-performance power at a cost at least 30 per cent more competitive than petrol. For example, the Kore2 can power the basics of a small urban store – a refrigerator, lights, and fans for 15 hours. Not limited to low-consumption appliances, the Kore 2 can power large-wattage tools like drills, embossers, and power saws for 2 – 4 hours. The Kore2 will also power 100km of range for the TAILG Jidi electric motorcycle, which is set to launch in Q1 2024.
Kofa, with its upgraded network of 12 strategically-placed swap stations across Accra, some of which are solar-powered, has the capacity to deliver over 20,000 battery swaps per month. The company plans to install an additional 80 stations, handling 6,000 batteries, by the end of 2024 in multiple cities in Africa, increasing the network’s capacity to over 100,000 swaps a month and representing 2,160 tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided annually using the Jidi electric motorcycle alone.
“The launch of Kofa’s Kore2 battery network represents a pivotal step towards accessible and affordable energy in urban centres across Africa. Our network connects users to clean energy anywhere not limited by cables and wires, whilst enabling significant savings vs petrol for all users. We look forward to growing our network to bring our batteries into more homes, businesses and vehicles across Africa,” said Erik Nygard, CEO of Kofa.
