“M’Bay” means to domesticate in Wolof, the principle language in Senegal. The aptly named “Mbay Mobility” desires to assist domesticate and develop the inexperienced mobility sector in West Africa, beginning in Dakar Senegal. Mbay desires to play a key position within the transition to electrical mobility by being the primary mover within the electrical automotive sector in Senegal and within the wider West African area, which remains to be at a nascent stage of EV adoption.

Mbay is wanting on the whole ecosystem and dealing with key stakeholders, corresponding to insurance coverage companies, banks, authorities, worldwide donors, and garages in Senegal. Mbay has helped curate a complete e-mobility centered insurance coverage bundle and acquired a 75,000 euro grant from the Netherlands to execute a upkeep coaching programme for technicians, which they carried out in collaboration with the Senegalese Ministry of Training and SolarTaxi Ghana. Mbay can be working with the federal government and different companions to discover methods of incentivising the adoption of electrical mobility, specifically by changing the very excessive 70% import tax with taxes that solely kick in after the EVs are on Senegalese roads and producing financial savings for his or her customers. 

Picture from coaching session, courtesy of Mbay Mobility.

Picture from coaching session, courtesy of Mbay Mobility.

Two of the principle issues Mbay is tackling are rising air air pollution and carbon emissions, brought on by numerous getting older inside combustion automobiles in congested cities. Basically, all of the vehicles on Dakar’s roads use low-quality fossil gasoline and contribute to about 2.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per 12 months, with a calculated social price of $97 million per 12 months. These numbers are rising quickly. Moreover, 1 / 4 of toddler deaths in West Africa are actually associated to air air pollution. Air air pollution additionally results in different illnesses that result in elevated public well being prices, decrease studying outcomes at college, and decreased productiveness within the office. 

An older taxi in Dakar.

An older taxi in Dakar.

Growing older taxis are among the worst contributors to this air pollution. There are about 16,000 taxis in Dakar, Senegal, and though they account for lower than 5% of Dakar’s automobile inhabitants, they represent about 45% of the visitors circulate on common as they zoom via town all day searching for clients. These taxis contribute at the least 20% of the air air pollution in Dakar, so switching them to electrical would have big advantages for everybody within the metropolis.

Mbay imports and retails electrical vehicles, and the taxi business is one in every of its key goal markets. Mbay says that its EVs will present enticing financial savings for EV taxi homeowners, higher working circumstances for drivers, and higher consolation and safety for passengers. These EVs are additionally tailored for the native context, with greater floor clearance to cater to non-paved roads and domestic-plug charging to keep away from infrastructure constraints. Their vary is about 250 km, in keeping with the every day necessities of the typical distances lined by taxis in Dakar. The typical taxi in Dakar does about 175 km per day, so the 250 km vary is greater than ample.

Mbay calculates that taxis switching to its electrical vehicles will save about $33 per day because of the decrease “fuelling”prices in addition to the decrease servicing and upkeep prices. This works out to about $12,000 in annual financial savings per automotive and about $150,000 over the lifecycle of the automobile within the taxi business.

Mbay additionally provides model new electrical vehicles, which shall be a serious step up from the ICE taxi business that’s dominated by used vehicles — getting older ICE vehicles. To decrease the boundaries to entry, Mbay is working with banks and different monetary establishments to supply financing packages. Mbay will couple this with a geolocation and immobilization software program bundle in circumstances of non-payment/default. This PayGo operate deactivates vehicles at distance, enabling low-cost financing by lowering cost threat for banks. The banks are additionally on this undertaking, because it provides them a platform for financing inexperienced initiatives, in keeping with a few of their ESG targets and mandates.

The every day financial savings generated by Mbay’s EVs cowl the month-to-month funds and curiosity funds for the financial institution loans, so this could speed up adoption. However, in any other case, there are presently no incentives for electrical vehicles in Senegal. Mbay says if incentives corresponding to lowering the import taxes and duties have been launched, this might decrease the prices of the vehicles to the taxi homeowners and speed up the clear transport revolution they’re attempting to set off. Mbay can be providing home charging providers for its clients.

Mbay’s consultations with drivers within the taxi business highlights among the challenges drivers and operators face. A driver who drives a 1995 Peugeot says, “I pay $17 per day to hire my automotive. As it’s over 25 years previous, it’s not very comfy and wishes upkeep each Sunday. It sounds just like the MBAY automotive doesn’t want weekly upkeep and is way more comfy, so I might love to change to one in every of their vehicles.”

One other driver, who makes use of a 1998 Toyota, says, “It’s exhausting being a taxi driver. Gas could be very costly and I pay half of the upkeep prices. I wish to use an Mbay EV so I can scale back upkeep prices and earn extra.”

One other driver added, “The air pollution could be very unhealthy for our well being. My youngsters have respiration issues. If I might drive a cleaner automotive, I might try this. I might simply cost the automotive at my residence”

Mbay’s work suits in properly with Senegal’s inexperienced improvement plan Le Plan Sénégal Emergent Vert, which is in search of to advertise inexperienced development and sustainable improvement.

Mbay can be increasing to Abidjan and Accra within the close to future, as soon as the scale-up in Senegal is properly underway. Mbay was based by Matthew Sellar, Thebean Gilfillian, and Stefan Heijboer.

These kind of financing platforms have nice potential to actually remodel the taxi business on this area in addition to remodel the transport and mobility panorama ecosystem. Lots of focus has been on electrifying the motorbike sector in a number of nations on the continent. Nonetheless, in nations corresponding to Senegal the place motorbike taxis are restricted in giant cities corresponding to Dakar, ICE vehicles are a serious section within the transport sector. There’s a huge alternative to enhance the standard of service via programmes that facilitate the financing of contemporary automobiles and within the course of decrease operational prices, thereby enhancing incomes and remodeling lives.

Pictures courtesy of Mbay