The global transition to electric mobility is accelerating, driven by the urgent need to decarbonise transport and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the UK, electric vehicle use is increasing, including motorcycles for goods delivery. In other parts of the world, such as Uganda, electric motorcycles are gaining traction, particularly in the capital Kampala’s bustling boda-boda [motorcycle taxi] industry.
However, challenges such as insufficient battery charging and swapping infrastructure, lack of battery standardisation, and high operational costs are preventing widespread adoption and decarbonisation of the motorcycle fleet.
This project therefore aimed to combine experience from Ugandan transport specialists Dr. Chris Byaruhanga of Kyambogo University and Ivan Ssensamba from Precise Data Traffic Technologies Ltd alongside UK academic experience headed up by Dr Dilum Dissanayake from the University of Birmingham.
It investigates the concept of a universal battery charging and swapping hub for electric motorcycles with a focus of testing its feasibility. A universal hub is a concept facility with capacity to charge and swap more than one battery brand or type.
The project adopted both qualitative and quantitative research in both countries with over 800 responses collected from UK and Uganda. Combined with a workshop session among stakeholders in Kampala, these informed the key findings of the project.
“The stakeholder workshops in Uganda were a highlight, bringing together mobility organisations, academia, riders and policymakers to share candid insights on the research question”, explains Chris, “They provided the anchorage for the findings presented in this research and further shaped our vision for the universal hub.”
The team developed a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of user attitudes to provide clear, actionable insights into what drives adoption, especially in UK, where the transition to electric mobility is taking shape.
“The most valuable insights came from combining stakeholder perspectives with the PCA”, said Ivan, “We learnt the importance of tailoring solutions to local contexts, comparing Uganda’s pay-per-use model versus the UK’s emerging subscription model, plus the potential of franchise models to reduce costs.”
The team found that the rich feedback from stakeholder sessions was slightly more insightful than the quantitative analysis. Dilum explained further how the team compensated for this;
“Some of the electric mobility organisations in Uganda were hesitant to share data due to competitive concerns”, she said, “The small sample size in Uganda limited our PCA analysis, but we overcame this by prioritising qualitative analysis, which still yielded robust findings.”
The project found that the concept of a universal battery swapping and charging hub is feasible financially, technically and will have potential market given the increasing energy transition in the motorcycle industry.
In Uganda, whilst the concept is still in its infancy, it has the potential to contribute towards battery standardisation and operation, facilitating interoperability and increased adoption rates for electric mobility. In the UK, where battery swapping is expected to be launched, a universal hub concept should be embraced to minimise challenges related to battery charging and swapping services.
Chris believes this to be the first study of its kind in developing more universal charging and swapping infrastructure;
“The findings provide insights towards battery standardisation and interoperability which appears to be the future for electric motorcycles”, he suggests, “I believe that electric motorcycle manufacturers should collaborate through partnerships, possibly under a franchise model to take this forward.”
Ivan meanwhile wants to kick-start a conversation on infrastructure evolution and viable commercial models for rolling out universal charging infrastructure;
“I envision this study serving as a catalyst for academic discourse and policy development, encouraging further investigation into interoperable energy systems and innovative financing models to ensure equitable access to electric mobility solutions.”
The outputs will be published in international journals, including a policy paper on battery swapping business models. Dilum explained how the study could be taken further;
“The project lays the groundwork for future research into high-capacity batteries, standardisation and innovative charging solutions, ensuring electric mobility evolves with user needs”, she concluded, “The next step is to demonstrate the application of the findings in this research project by implementing a pilot project to demonstrate the operation of a universal hub.”
The group’s initial paper is published on the FTVG website via the link below: