Mobility for Africa - Hamba fleet mobility solution (Zimbabwe)

Who, What & Where

• Mobility for Africa
• Hamba fleet mobility solution
• Chipinge, Zimbabwe

The Company

By leveraging technological and manufacturing expertise from the revolution taking place in electric transport, Mobility for Africa will produce low-cost quality renewable electric tricycles, bicycles and small scale vehicles built for a rural off road environment. Branded under “Mobility for Africa", the transport will be designed to cater to the user’s need for local mobility, provide long term and low interest financing to make them accessible and invest in the longer term off grid community based renewable power solutions. Accordingly, the mission is to create renewable community-based transport solutions for Africa that is affordable, efficient and environmentally friendly.

The Challenge

The lack of access to reliable, safe and efficient last-mile solutions in rural Africa is a key barrier to socio-economic and healthcare improvements.

Physical isolation prevents large areas of the continent from reaching their true agricultural potential. A farm’s profits will never increase without the ability to transport produce to markets. Poor terrain means that urban transport solutions are not fit for purpose: fewer than 40% of rural Africans live within 2 km of an all-season road.

Designs of existing transport options are tailored to men and exclude women. Rural women spend long hours carrying heavy loads to market with crops rotting in the process, women die during childbirth due to lack of access to a health centre, children cannot access education and economic opportunities are missed due to the considerable distances from resources.

Available modes of transport are flawed: second-hand cars are costly economically (purchasing and operating) and environmentally (running on fossil fuels), bicycles/motorcycles limit the ability to carry heavier items, bike/trailer alternatives like tuk-tuks are not suitable for rural off-road needs.

Other challenges:

• Limited funding to test new models and R&D
• Threats of competition from substitute products and unregulated industry
• Local skills development
• Lack of a policy framework to regulate the EV space in the country was addressed by working with and advising the Zimbabwean government on their e-transport policy

Renewable Solution

MFA leases out and finances a fully serviced fleet of GPS-enabled three-wheeled electric vehicles (hambas) as a safe and robust alternative to withstand the unique off-road conditions and is energy- efficient. This solution will be able to service the daily transport needs of farmers, move larger quantities of commodities to the market and do so at reasonable costs. MFA also provides all the after-care services to ensure that the farmers and other users are never immobile.

Project Financing and Costs

900,000 EUR (grant), 350,000 EUR (equity)

• We Effect (development partner)
• Zimbabwe Diary Farmers Association (ZDFA) (local partner)
• Dairibord (local partner)
• Zenergy (technology provider)
• Toyota Mobility Foundation (financier)
• EEP Africa (financier)
• AECF (financier)
• Dubai Expo Live (financier)

Project Outcome

• MFA strives to bring behavioural change surrounding sustainable mobility, increasing green jobs opportunities, especially for women (24 full-time employees)
• Women in rural areas benefited from blended finance from a range of stakeholders, enabling these women to pay an affordable price for mobility as a service
• Healthcare campaigns using hambas have increased the number of people reached, treated and minimised vast walking distances
• Provided employment and capacity building for local agents in driving, repairs, maintenance, renewable energy and battery management
• Created incentives for people to stay in rural areas rather than move to urban areas in search of work and employment
• Estimated 6 t CO2e/year saved
• Tailor-made 48 V Li-ion battery, can plug into the hamba as well as a range of farm appliances

Key Recommendations

• Long-term investment and patient capital local R&D, capacity building, market testing and demonstrating proof of concept
• Challenge of fragmentation in policy decision-making in e-mobility as it requires the involvement of many different Ministries from the Industry, Transport, Energy and Local Government that requires building alliances with different public and private stakeholders