Josh
Whale

Building reliable electric-motorcycle and battery-swapping systems around the realities of commercial riders in African cities.

Josh Whale is the founder of Ampersand, Africa's first e-mobility company and one of the continent's largest electric-motorcycle operators.

Ampersand supports more than 10,000 commercial electric motorcycles across Kenya and Rwanda and delivers over 25,000 battery swaps each day. The company also designs electric motorcycles and battery packs, supported by in-house IoT systems and software that monitor battery health and operations.

Its operating model is built around dependable service, with battery-swap waiting times consistently kept below two minutes. Proven vehicle and battery lifespans of more than five years, efficient operations and a low ratio of batteries to motorcycles underpin the company's route towards profitability.

Ampersand is also advancing interoperability in Africa by opening its swapping infrastructure to motorcycles produced by other manufacturers, moving the market towards shared infrastructure rather than closed ecosystems.