Spiro pushes for electric mobility to drive sustainable transport in Nigeria

In a bid to drive cleaner and more sustainable transport in Nigeria, Spiro, an electric vehicle company, is ramping up efforts to promote electric mobility.

The company said its long-term vision is to support Nigeria’s transition to a low-emission transport system and as electric mobility is globally rising and gaining traction, driven by fuel costs, urban congestion, growing environmental concerns, and the demand for cleaner transport, Spiro is pushing to make it a viable and scalable solution for Nigeria’s transport sector.

While challenges around infrastructure and policy remain, the company is working to make electric two-wheelers accessible, reliable, and relevant to Nigerian realities.

According to Rahul Gaur, director for the West Africa region for Spiro, the company is positioning electric mobility as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuel-based transport and is working with state governments to encourage adoption.

By adapting its model to local needs and addressing energy access challenges, Spiro is positioning itself as a key player in shaping Nigeria’s move toward cleaner, more sustainable urban transport.

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“We want to lead the green revolution in Nigeria. With more bikes on the road, more users to talk about the benefits, a cleaner environment, and governments adopting electric mobility is what we are actually pushing for,” Gaur told BusinessDay.

He said that Spiro is exploring solar-powered swap stations and offering home-charging solutions to give customers flexibility and convenience to ensure riders have reliable and cleaner access to mobility, reduce reliance on unstable grid electricity and promote renewable energy use in the mobility sector.

He also said that to ensure power availability at its swap stations, especially in areas with unreliable electricity, Spiro is engaging state governments for a stable power supply and partnering with existing operators through a franchise model to share battery-charging infrastructure.

“We are now working on solar energy to put the swap stations, and we are providing the home chargers as another means of providing the energy to the customer. So, that’s an added convenience to the customer; he can charge at home.

“By offering electric bikes with lower running costs and simplified maintenance, riders can save up to 35 percent on fuel and 40 percent on maintenance compared to petrol-powered motorcycles,” Gaur said.

He added that the company has expanded operations across 10 states, introduced a battery-swapping model to reduce fuel dependency, and is partnering with governments and businesses to push the adoption of electric motorcycles.

“What we have done till now is that we have been able to sell bikes in 10 states as of now, and our acceptability has been well enough from the government to B2Bs, to even dealerships,” Gaur said.

He said that Spiro has also onboarded over 100 dealerships across Nigeria and plans to commission a large-scale assembly plant in Sagamu to deepen its local presence.

“We are already working on a big assembly plant in Sagamu. It is going to be operational by the month of September. The capacity will be 50,000 bikes a year for that plant.

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“We are going to make swap stations across 10 to 12 major states in the next 8 to 9 months,” Gaur said.

In response to Nigeria’s mobility challenges, he said that Spiro’s electric mobility model can help the government cushion the impact of fuel price fluctuations by offering a more stable alternative.

He added that the model offers governments a stable alternative to fuel-dependent transport amid rising fuel costs, also noting that the company offers to set up command centres for governments to monitor and manage EV activity across cities or states in real time.

“For both public and private stakeholders, such as fleet operators, the company provides enhanced asset security through built-in tracking systems on bikes and batteries, and provides full asset control, including the ability to remotely immobilise or disable stolen vehicles.

“We have trackers inside the bikes and batteries. This gives you full control of your assets; you can even immobilise the bike on the road in case of theft.

“For governments, we can build command centres to monitor and control all bikes in a city or state at the click of a button,” Gaur said.