ROAM moves HQ to larger facility in Africa capable of producing 50k electric motorcycles per year
Electric technology company ROAM continues to find success in its native East Africa and is now expanding its production footprint to a new larger facility that’s over 100,000 square feet in size. In the coming years, ROAM intends to bolster is Air electric motorcycle production to fill the new facility’s capacity of 50,000 units per year.
ROAM was founded in 2017 under its original monicker – Opibus, although the company saw a rebranding to ROAM in April 2022. Although ROAM’s origin has Swedish roots, it has always been headquartered in Kenya where it develops, designs, and manufactures electric motorcycles and buses to help transition the African continent toward a future of more sustainable transportation.
Last summer, ROAM officially launched its Air electric motorcycle, complete with two swappable battery packs that combine for 180 km (112 mi) of all-electric range. The frame of the ROAM Air was engineered to handle both the urban and rural terrains of Africa and provides a storage compartment where a traditional fuel tank would be.
The result is an electric motorcycle that is offers class-leading carrying capacity, range, and top speed that is helping ROAM in its goal of easing mass adoption of zero-emission transport across Africa.
With partners like Uber already onboard to deploy its electric motorcycles in East Africa, ROAM has expanded to keep up with demand and improve production efficiencies.
ROAM opens largest electric motorcycle plant in East Africa
ROAM shared details of its new 10,000 square-meter (~107,650 sq.-ft.) facility in Nairobi, Kenya earlier today. The relocation is called ROAM Park and will now become home to the company’s East African headquarters and development/battery labs, in addition to its Air electric motorcycle production.
The new footprint which ROAM describes as “double the size of the International Space Station,” has the capabilities for an annual production capacity of 50,000 Airs per year. ROAM is not at that output level yet, but intends to reach it in a couple of years – all while remaining a carbon-neutral assembly facility.
ROAM states the new facility allows it to combine production, distribution, and storage operations of the electric motorcycles under one roof, reducing its overall carbon footprint while simultaneously improving efficiency.
The company current employs over 150 highly skilled individuals local to East Africa and growth is expected to continue through 2023 to meet EV demand. Operations of the new facility are being lead by ROAM’s chief operations officer and former Tesla employee, Brett Mangel. Mangel spoke:
Moving ahead with this new production facility represents a significant step forward in bringing sustainable mobility solutions to Kenya. With some of the brightest talent, key partners, and access to a good infrastructure and logistics network, Roam is confident that this new location is a step in the right direction.
The ROAM team explained to us that its new facility in Nairobi caters specifically to motorcycle production and that its all-electric transit buses are being assembled at a separate facility in Africa with a production partner.
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Environment
Baidu- and Geely-backed JiYue brand unveils ROBO X EV that goes 0-100 km/h in under 1.9 sec
JiYue, a Chinese EV brand focused on delivering all-electric “robocars” to the masses, has unveiled its latest model, and it’s quite a deviation from its previous EVs—but in the best way. Earlier today, JiYue launched the ROBO X supercar, designed for high-speed racing. By high speed, we mean 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 1.9 seconds. My mouth is watering.
JiYue has only existed since 2021, when parent tech company Baidu announced it was expanding from software development into physical EV production, joining forces with multinational automotive manufacturer Geely.
The new “robotic EV” marque initially launched as JIDU with $300 million in startup capital before garnering an additional $400 million in Series A funding, led by Baidu, in January 2022.
In August 2023, Geely took on a larger role in JIDU alongside a greater financial stake as the brand reimagined itself as JiYue, inheriting the JIDU logo and its flagship model, the 01 ROBOCAR.
In December 2023, Baidu and Geely unveiled a second model called the JiYue 07. It was born from JIDU’s ROBO-02 concept, which debuted in 2023 and was designed to compete against the Tesla Model 3 in China.
The 07 finally launched in China earlier this year with 545 miles of range. With an all-electric SUV and sedan on the market, JiYue has unveiled an exciting new entry in the form of a performance supercar called the ROBO X. Check it out:
JiYue’s new ROBO X EV is available for pre-order now
JiYue showcased its new ROBO X hypercar in front of the crowd at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show earlier today. Similar to previous models but with a unique spin, JiYue described the ROBO X as an AI smart-driving supercar that, for the first time, blends artificial intelligence and autonomous driving into a high-performance, race-ready EV.
When we say “high performance,” we mean a quad motor liquid-cooled drive system that can propel the ROBO X from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in under 1.9 seconds. JiYue called the new ROBO X a “performance beast” with “the perfect balance of excellent aerodynamic performance and high downforce.” JiYue CEO Joe Xia was even bolder in his statements about the ROBO X:
For the next 20 years, the design of supercars will bear the shadow of Robo X. This is the best design in the history of Chinese automobiles today, and it is a landmark presence.
Fighter-style airflow ducts bolster the EV’s aerodynamics, efficiency, and overall posture. Per JiYue, the two-seater ROBO X is expected to deliver a maximum range of over 650 km (404 miles).
The new supercar features falcon-wing doors, a carbon fiber integrated frame, and a professional racing HALO safety system offering 360° of support. The interior features an AI smart cockpit with SIMO real-time feedback to give drivers an immersive racing experience.
Furthermore, JiYue said the vehicle will utilize parent company Baidu’s Apollo self-driving technology, which could make it the first electric supercar to apply pure-vision ADAS technology that enables track-level autonomous driving.
Following today’s unveiling of the ROBO X, JiYue has officially opened up pre-orders in China for RMB 49,999 ($6,915). That said, reservation holders will need to be patient as JiYue shared that it doesn’t expect to begin mass production of the ROBO X until 2027.
What do you think? Will people be talking about the ROBO X for the next 20 years?
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes the launch of the Lectric XPedition 2.0, Yamaha e-bikes pulling out of North America, LiveWire unveils an electric scooter concept, PNY readying its cargo e-scooters for pilot testing, Royal Enfield’s first electric motorcycle, and more.
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
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Crude oil futures were on pace Friday for loss for the week, as a supply gut and a strong dollar depresses the market.
U.S. crude oil is down more than 2% this week, while Brent has shed nearly 2%.
Here are Friday’s energy prices:
- West Texas Intermediate December contract: $68.56 per barrel, down 14 cents, or 0.2%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil has shed about 4%.
- Brent January contract: $72.36 per barrel, down 20 cents, or 0.28%. Year to date, the global benchmark has lost nearly 6%.
- RBOB Gasoline December contract: $1.99 per gallon, up 0.46%. Year to date, gasoline has fallen more than 1%.
- Natural Gas December contract: $2.70 per thousand cubic feet, down 2.98%. Year to date, gas has gained more than 4%.
The International Energy Agency has forecast a surplus of more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 on robust production in the U.S. OPEC revised down its demand forecast for the fourth consecutive month as demand in China remains soft.
A strong dollar also hangs over the market, as the greenback has surged in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.
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