ROAM has launched a production-intent model of electric motorcycles that are designed to suit both urban and rural environments, unlike electric motorcycles which haven’t been adapted in the commercial market before.
The Air hopes to pave the way for clean transport across Nairobi and beyond.
ROAM was founded in 2017. This company has rebranded this past April and remains headquartered in Kenya, where it develops, designs, and manufactures electric vehicles for African countries to make the transition to a more sustainable transportation.
The company began as a research project at one of Sweden’s top technical universities with a mission to implement electrified mobility in emerging markets.
Its projects include EV conversions of mining SUVs and energy storage, plus ground-up builds of passenger buses and electric motorcycles.
After raising Africa’s largest-ever seed funding, ROAM collaborated with Uber to launch over 3,000 electric motorcycles throughout Africa this year.
As ROAM attacks its next set of electrification goals in Africa, it introduced its first official electric motorcycle model – the ROAM Air.
ROAM electric motorcycle
ROAM Air electric motorcycle nears cost parity with petrol
Today ROAM shared details of their official Air launch in a press release out of Nairobi, Kenya and the company claimed that it was better than the bikes originally launched as a pilot program.
According to Roam, the Air is the optimal electric motorcycle for Africa and will replace those originally promoted by the company.
The new ROAM design focuses on providing a more efficient, less polluting alternative by increasing carrying capacity, range and top speed. ROAM co-founder and CEO Filip lövström spoke
We are proud to introduce the ROAM Air, our next-generation electric motorcycle. The e-motorcycle is tailored for different commercial use-cases such as carrying passengers or cargo with safety in mind.
It is truly a testament to our commitment to offering world- class electric vehicle technology in Africa.
The frame of the ROAM Air has been engineered to fit African terrains, but also provides a storage compartment where a traditional fuel tank would be.
The motorcycle’s frame houses a dual battery system that is able to provide at least 112 miles of electric range.
ROAM’s innovative design on their electric motorcycle makes it easy to swap out the battery packs and charge them at a home outlet.
The bike also has a system that allows you to refill your battery anywhere a public recharge station is found using their mobile app.
PROS
- Battery Capacity: 2 x 3.24 kWh packs (6.48 kWh in total)
- Nominal Power: 3,000 watts
- Top speed: 90 km/h (56 mph)
- Payload capacity: 220 kg (485 lbs)
- Vehicle weight (w/ single battery): 135 kg (298 lbs)
- Charging time: 4 hours (3-pin 600W charger on 240V outlet)
- 4 driving modes: Eco, Standard, Power, Sport
- USB ports
ROAM said at $1,500 it has reached near cost parity with combustion-powered motorcycles in the African market. They also said that their price is 70% lower than traditional bikes and the company is scaling up their production due to the large interest of pre-orders already.
