Nairobi — Zeno, a global electric mobility company founded by a former Tesla Executive, has entered the East African market with the launch of electric bikes in Kenya.
The San Francisco, Nairobi, and Bangalore-based company is establishing two assembly hubs and nine showrooms across the region, with Kenya being the first market to receive deliveries of the Zeno Emara electric motorcycle and a 3-mode charging infrastructure system.
Its sport utility e-motorcycle features a 250-kilogram load capacity with 190-millimeter ground clearance.
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"With the Zeno Emara, we've fundamentally rethought what an electric motorcycle should be for our consumers. Our customers need a vehicle that can withstand full-day commercial use while remaining affordable to purchase and operate," said Michael Spencer, Zeno's CEO.
"The Emara delivers superior performance to comparable petrol bikes while cutting operating costs by 30-50%."
At the moment, Zeno has deployed over 40 charge points, enabling travel between Nairobi and key upcountry destinations, including Nyeri and Nanyuki.
The company plans rapid expansion to 120 Nairobi charge points in the coming months and 500 nationwide within a year, creating what could become Kenya's most extensive EV charging network.
Speaking on the market's response so far, Zeno CEO Michael Spencer noted that it continues to be overwhelmingly positive.
"More than 15,000 customers have already registered on Zeno's waitlist across Kenya, Uganda and India. We are offering an introductory pricing of KSh 189,000, including KSh 15,000 in free Zeno points (energy credits), with financing options starting as low as KSh 290 per day," he said.
Zeno's launch in East Africa comes at a time when adoption of electric motorbikes and cars has been rising as calls to reduce environmental impact grow.
Traditional motorcycles in Asia and Africa consume nearly $400 billion in fuel annually while contributing significantly to CO₂ and particulate emissions.
