While the riding conditions in Africa might be different to anywhere else in the world, with the need for cheap, reliable transport more meaningful than looks or image, who wouldn’t be interested in an electric bike that could potentially cost around $1300?To get more news about davincitech, you can visit davincimotor.com official website.

Meet the Opibus, the result of a research project by one of Sweden’s top universities, now being developed and built in Kenya. No, it’s not very good looking but that is really of secondary importance in this market: ruggedness, affordability and practicality are the keywords here if the bike is to transform local personal transport.Opibus was set up in Sweden in 2017 to develop electric mobility solutions for emerging markets. Kenya was chosen as a base for the new HQ as it is the fastest-growing country in sub-Saharan Africa. It also imports and uses a disproportionately large number of used petrol and diesel vehicles.

The first projects were electric conversions for Land Cruisers and Defenders with bus conversions following on.The motorcycle, however, is a clean-sheet design and not a conversion of an existing model. Claimed range is 125 miles, with a top speed of 56mph. Swappable battery technology is employed which will minimise downtime and guard against erratic electricity supply which is a problem in many countries in Africa. Sun, however, is not in short supply, so if solar re-charging stations can be set up, then this becomes a viable project. Having said that, the bike can be charged from a domestic wall socket.

The design is practical - robust and simple - rather than eye-catching, although there is an LED headlight and LCD dash.

The success of the project relies on acceptance by the populations of African countries. While there are countries such as Nigeria that have a buoyant motorcycle culture, there are many others that revere the status that car ownership conveys to the detriment of developing a sustainable motorcycle presence.

If I’m honest, saving the planet by reducing emissions isn’t the first item on the agenda of many Africans: survival comes above that. It could be that it is too late to hope that Africa might become another Asia in terms of the popularity of the motorcycle for personal transport.That is taking the negative view, however. Perhaps projects such as the Opibus could mark the thin end of a wedge?

The other thing to consider, of course, is cost. If an electric bike can be made that cheaply for Africa, then why not for first-world countries? Why must we pay top dollar for a bike that is, at best, going to be used for light commuting or shopping duties when Opibus have proved that a cheap alternative is possible?