Spiro acquired UK-based engineering agency Coexlion for an undisclosed sum as the electrical motorbike firm strikes to construct its first African analysis and growth centre in Nairobi.
The deal provides Spiro in-house capability to design, check and enhance electrical bikes for African roads, rider habits and industrial use. Coexlion has labored with firms together with Triumph, Hero, Ather Power, Ola and Arc, and has expertise throughout battery sizing, idea design, provider choice, manufacturing validation and assembly-line rollout.
Spiro at present assembles bikes from knockdown kits imported from China, with some spare elements sourced from India. Its Nairobi meeting plant has annual capability of as much as 50,000 electrical bikes. The Coexlion acquisition is geared toward decreasing dependence on imported design and engineering over time.
The corporate says it has about 100,000 electrical bikes on African roads, greater than 2,500 battery-swapping stations and over 30 million battery swaps accomplished. Its markets embody Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Togo and Benin. In Kenya, Spiro mentioned it captured 52% of recent electrical motorcycle gross sales in 2025.
Sustain with the newest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
The deliberate Nairobi R&D centre will give Spiro entry to native utilization information, rider suggestions and highway situations because it develops automobiles for boda boda riders and different industrial customers. The transfer follows a $100 million funding led by Afreximbank’s Fund for Export Improvement in Africa and helps Spiro’s plan to construct an electrical mobility community designed for African markets.
Key Takeaways
Spiro’s acquisition of Coexlion exhibits that Africa’s electrical mobility market is shifting from import and meeting towards native engineering. Most electrical bikes used on the continent are nonetheless based mostly on designs constructed for different markets, then tailored for African roads. That creates issues when riders face tough terrain, heavy every day use, warmth, mud and lengthy working hours. For boda boda riders, the motorcycle just isn’t solely transport; it’s an income-generating asset. A weak battery, poor body design or excessive upkeep value can cut back earnings. By bringing engineering nearer to its largest market, Spiro can check merchandise below actual situations and enhance them sooner. The Nairobi R&D centre might additionally assist Kenya construct deeper expertise in battery methods, car design, software program, diagnostics and manufacturing. The problem shall be turning engineering management into decrease prices and higher merchandise at scale. Spiro nonetheless depends on imported batteries, motors and elements, so localisation will take time. However the deal is an indication that Africa’s EV sector is starting to maneuver past distribution into product possession.
Join free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the newest in African information delivered straight to your inbox