Electric truck startup OX Delivers scored a $163 million multi-year deal to bring its tough, capable, and low-cost electric “trucks-as-a-service” vehicles to East Africa in a bid to bring e-mobility to the global south.
The $163 million multi-year deal creates a new franchise venture called OX East Africa, and includes delivery of a fleet of OX Delivers electric trucks, along with a multi-year subscription to the company’s tech platform and vehicle maintenance services as the company enhances its presence in Rwanda and expands into Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
OX East Africa, will work to meet the growing demand for OX Delivers’ truck-as-a-service business in Rwanda, and expand into Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Burundi.
“Today’s exciting agreement represents a significant milestone for the team at OX Delivers and is an acknowledgement of the extraordinary traction we have made both with our electric trucks and the service operation in Rwanda,” explains Simon Davis, Co-Founder and CEO of OX Delivers. “The huge potential that our services have unlocked in Rwanda highlight the opportunity to replicate this in the neighboring countries. Through this franchise partnership, we will expand into new markets and continue our mission to supercharge trade across the Global South.”
Simple, durable construction
OX Delivers calls its truck the first purpose-built electric vehicle for the Global South. This year, the company delivered its best performance since starting pilot operations in Rwanda, generating more than $920,000 in revenue through the end of October.
The flat-pack OX Delivers trucks ship on pallets to be assembled at/near their final deployment destination. The trucks feature a 74 kWh battery good for over 90 miles (150 km) of range with a whopping 4,400 lb. (2000 kg) payload capacity.
Electrek’s Take
Despite most of the West’s idea of Africa as a backwards, low-tech continent, African nations are embracing e-mobility in the same way that they embraced mobile connectivity: quickly, and without the burden of a competing, pre-installed infrastructure holding them back.
Good for them.
SOURCE | IMAGES: OX Delivers, via Power Progress and Startup Magazine.
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