Bike hailing startup, Max.ng, has just announced that it will unveil its all-Nigerian electric bike ‘MAXe series one’ at the Lagos International Trade Fair tomorrow.
The new Max.ng electric motorbikes come after the company revealed plans to introduce electronic motorcycles after raising $7 million in funding earlier in the year.
Since Max.ng launched in 2015, the startup has undergone major changes. Starting out as a delivery startup that used motorcycles to move packages, Max.ng has now expanded to full on-demand transportation and ride-hailing company.
At the moment, Max.ng has over 1,000 riders and the current number of rides stands at about 200,000 according to Reuters.
Max.ng introduces the MAXe
In Nigeria, electric vehicles haven’t gained popularity yet. This is largely due to the energy problems in the country. But Max.ng’s adoption of a model that will rely on charging stations and swappable cells could potentially change minds.
Also noteworthy is the fact that the MAXe was put together locally.
Max.ng, earlier, announced that they had partnered with various EV manufacturers and suppliers worldwide to assemble electronic vehicles (EVs) in the country.
This significant milestone shows investors that there is a market for EVs in the country. It also shows that Nigeria can create sustainable transportation systems fueled by renewable energy.
Bertrand Njoya, CFO of Max.ng told TechCrunch that they were partnering with gridlock operators to deploy charging stations.
“We’re piloting electric motorcycles in partnership with EV manufacturers and working with grid operators across Nigeria to deploy charging stations,”
Bertrand Njoya, CFO at of Max.ng
Finally ready to compete
The MAXe’s swappable energy cell can be easily swapped at charging stations to make their operations faster.
Since the start of the year, competition in the ride-hailing business has intensified, with Max.ng appearing to have lost its dominance as new entrants like Gokada and the Opera funded ORide took over the market with deep pockets.
With the startup’s recent expansion to Akure and the launch of MAXe, Max.ng is poised to reclaim control of the market.
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