Zeno raises $25M to hurry up manufacturing of its battery-swap motorbikes

The EV transition may need hit a hurdle within the U.S., but it surely’s not slowing down in East Africa, the place a number of startups are vying for a bit of the burgeoning electrical bike market.

Zeno is a kind of firms, and this week it introduced a $25 million Collection A to increase its app-controlled battery-swap community and produce extra of its Emara bikes.

About $20.5 million of the full was an fairness fundraise, Zeno co-founder and CEO Michael Spencer informed TechCrunch. It was led by Congruent Ventures with participation from Energetic Affect and Lowercarbon Ventures. The remaining $4.5 million is a debt facility from Camber Highway and Trifecta Capital.

Zeno had beforehand raised a $9.5 million seed spherical led by Lowercarbon Ventures and Toyota Ventures.

Since rising from stealth a yr and a half in the past, Zeno has constructed greater than 800 of its Emara motorbikes and arrange greater than 150 charging places throughout 4 nations in East Africa.

Motorbikes are a cornerstone of transportation within the area, and Zeno is betting that it will possibly appeal to riders by providing 50% decrease working prices than inside combustion bikes. The corporate mentioned greater than 25,000 retail and fleet prospects are ready to get their fingers on an Emara, and it’s producing about 70 to 80 bikes per week. The brand new spherical can be used to satisfy that demand. 

The Emara can drive about 100 kilometers (60 miles) on a single cost and carry as much as 250 kilograms (550 kilos), Zeno says. The bike sells for about $1,300 with out a battery, and about $2,000 with.

The bike gives 8 kilowatts of peak energy, about the identical as a 150 cc inside combustion engine, however as a result of all of its torque is on the market from a standstill, it will possibly go up steep hills absolutely laden — a boon for bodaboda operators, who routinely ferry passengers and cargo on bikes.

Clients who forgo the battery at buy can subscribe to a month-to-month or pay-per-use plan. They’ll cost the bikes at house or at considered one of Zeno’s swap stations. 

Just like Slate Auto within the U.S., Zeno is promoting a variety of equipment and wraps so consumers can customise their rides.

To sweeten the deal, Zeno additionally plans to supply a battery dock that houses and companies can use to energy lights and home equipment. The dock is presently being prototyped, Spencer mentioned, and a few dozen prospects are testing the product.

If Zeno can commercialize the battery dock, it may entrench itself within the area’s electrical infrastructure. A lot of East Africa’s energy grid is in poor form, which has supplied a gap for firms to offer extra modular energy merchandise. Some are serving to develop mini- and microgrids, whereas others like Zeno are betting that moveable, modular batteries will discover a everlasting area of interest. 

When Spencer co-founded the corporate, he drew inspiration from his earlier employer, Tesla, and its first grasp plan, which sought to deploy EVs and clear energy at scale. The thought, he informed me in 2024, “has extra legs and extra room to run with decrease hurdles in rising markets.”