Ecosystem innovation to accelerate the adoption of Electric Vehicles across East Africa.

Field research was conducted with riders, MSMEs, and ecosystem actors across urban, peri-urban, and rural Kenya, combining interviews, journey mapping, and real-world testing. Insights identified distinct rider personas and revealed that adoption depends on predictable service, routine-fit locations, and minimal downtime. Fast charging was positioned as a complement to swapping, with prototypes focused on flexible payment structures, transparent battery health assurance, and placement in high-flow locations such as petrol stations, markets, and transport hubs. Targeted experiments tested trust mechanisms, service reliability, and MSME hosting models, while stakeholder workshops and a public webinar aligned operators, policymakers, and financiers around shared standards and scaling pathways.