JUMIA Partners with BILITI Electric to Include E-Vans in Delivery Fleet

Nigeria based e-commerce company, JUMIA has announced a partnership with California-based EV solutions provider BILITI Electric, to add e-vans to its delivery fleet in Kenya. Through this collaboration, both companies have completed the pilot project, and are set to scale the fleet within Kenya in the first phase, and eventually across Africa. According to both companies, this partnership is an important step toward Africa’s progress in the e-mobility industry to achieve its environmental sustainability goals.

“We are committed to building a supply chain that will minimize the environmental impact of our operations. The introduction of these EVs to our last-mile delivery fleet of 3000+ vans is an integral milestone in our journey towards realizing our ESG objectives,” said Juan Seco, CEO of JUMIA Kenya.

“ Last-mile delivery costs account for 53% of the total cost of shipping. EVs help saves on major costs compared to any internal combustion engine vehicle. We are confident of enabling JUMIA with much faster, cheaper, and more convenient last-mile deliveries.” said Rahul Gayam, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of BILITI Electric.

The TaskmanTM model from BILITI Electric is intended for use in last-mile commercial deliveries; it has a range of 100 km on a single charge, a payload of 500 kg, and a top speed of 50 kmph. With the help of BILITI’s SmartSwappTM technology, the rider may quickly recharge their vehicle by simply switching out the battery with a fresh one.

Kenya is in a perfect position to launch a project of this nature. In 2020, renewable energy sources like hydropower, geothermal, solar PV, and wind generated almost 92% of the nation’s electricity needs. By 2030, Kenya wants to use only clean energy. Kenya lowered the import tax on all-electric vehicles in 2019.

The next year, it unveiled a detailed plan to boost EV adoption.