Tuesday · Conference Day 1 · Breakout Session · Side Stage
Charging infrastructure deployment models
Electric two- and three-wheelers
A practitioner discussion on how charging and battery-swapping networks can reduce fragmentation before a continental standard is agreed.
Session overview
The market is moving before the standard.
Across Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and Rwanda, operators are already testing practical routes to interoperability. These include shared infrastructure, third-party access, multiple battery types, co-location agreements and vehicles designed around open battery systems.
The immediate question is not only which standard will eventually prevail. It is also which commercial and engineering choices can improve reliability, serve more vehicles and reduce the risk of fragmented infrastructure.
Deployment approaches
Five models emerging in practice
The session looks at approaches already being tested across East and West Africa, rather than proposing another abstract standard.
Shared infrastructure
One physical network serves more than one fleet or operator, improving asset use and reducing duplicated investment.
Third-party access
Infrastructure owners allow vehicles outside the original ecosystem to use the network under agreed technical and commercial terms.
Multiple battery types
Stations are engineered to support more than one approved battery format while maintaining safe charging and service quality.
Co-location agreements
Several providers share sites, extending coverage and rider choice without relying on a single technology platform.
Open-system vehicles
Compatibility is designed into the vehicle and battery interface, supporting multi-OEM Battery-as-a-Service platforms.
Rwanda · 2026
From market practice to regulation
Rwanda has taken the market-led direction a step further. Its 2026 regulation makes interoperability a formal requirement for electric motorcycles placed on the market, creating an important reference point for other African markets.
Discussion focus
What the session will examine
Opening a network
The commercial and technical requirements for serving additional vehicles, batteries and operators.
Financing implications
How asset use, cross-provider backup, serviceability and stranded-asset risk influence investment decisions.
Transfer between markets
Which deployment approaches are most replicable across different levels of infrastructure maturity and regulatory support.