TotalEnergies Marketing Kenya added eight charging stations for electric motorbikes in the year ended December 2024, expanding its partnership with three e-mobility firms.
The oil marketer had installed two such facilities in the previous year, tapping into the nascent electric two-wheeler transport business.
“Leveraging our extensive network of service stations, we expanded our EV (electric vehicle) infrastructure for two wheelers by opening eight more EV sites in 2024 providing electric motorbike customers with convenient battery charging and swapping options,” the firm said in its latest annual report.
TotalEnergies has partnered with electric mobility firms Ampersand, Roam and Arc Ride.
The Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm added that it facilitated an average of 62 battery swaps per day last year.
Oil marketers such as TotalEnergies have long term plans to reduce their reliance on sale of petroleum products, partly due to pressure to shift to clean forms of energy and concerns about depletion of hydrocarbons.
Global oil firms are diversifying into production and supply of clean energy including solar and wind at a time when power demand is rising from emerging sectors such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.
“Today you know us as an expert in fuel distribution: tomorrow you will know us as an electric charging specialist,” TotalEnergies said in the report.
“We currently have 2 EV charging points for four-wheeler vehicles at our Nairobi service stations. Our job is all about energy and mobility; given the climate emergency, we commit to evolving alongside our clients, by delivering practical solutions for cleaner, worry-free travel.” TotalEnergies’ parent firm has solar power plants in Chile, Japan and South Africa as part of its strategy to grow its supply of clean energy including electricity generated from wind.
The number of electric motorcycles, three-wheelers and motor vehicles rose by 41 percent to 5,294 last year from 3,753 in 2023, according to data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra).
“The increase in registered EVs may be attributed to government initiatives such as the introduction of the special e-mobility tariff, reduced excise duty on electric vehicles from 20 percent to 10 percent, Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption on fully electric cars and development of charging infrastructure,” Epra said earlier.
Some public transport operators have been incentivized to shift to electric motorbikes in the wake of high fuel prices.
Oil marketers plan to use their national network of service stations to also serve the electric transport sector.
