Issue #8. Ugandan Startup, Lyanda, Sets its Sights on Solving the E-Mobility Battery Swap Compatibility Puzzle.

When using Mobile Money, we have the privilege of going to one agent who can do transactions on both MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money. However, when boda boda (motorcycles that ferry passengers in Uganda are called boad bodas) drivers with electric motorcycles are swapping batteries, they have to use a swapping station of their company. Let me explain. 

Uganda has seen an increase in electric motorcycles on the streets of Kampala. This has been largely down to the work of the leading manufacturers like GoGo Electric, Zembo and Spiro. 

The biggest selling point of electric motorcycles is that they reduce the expenditure boda boda drivers incur on fuel, which is about 70% of their daily income. 

But with electric motorcycles, come batteries. Charging stations for these batteries isn't the common trait adopted by manufacturers preferring swapping stations where a boda boda driver can bring in their drained battery, and swap it for a fully charged one. 

However, if a boda boda driver has a Zembo bike, they will have to look for a Zembo swapping station, and even if a Gogo electric swapping station is close by, they can't use it. 

But a startup, Lyanda, is seeking to change this and open up swapping stations to everyone, propelled by its CEO, Pius Onapa. 

“I have considerable experience when it comes to boda bodas,” Pius tells ClimateOS Africa. “I began a boda boda business myself around 2016. But lately, the transition from fossil fuels powered motorcycles to electric ones is gaining momentum, and it is noticeable to anyone who is paying attention.” 

Pius adds that even though electric vehicles like four wheels have also seen a small uptick in adoption in Uganda, the two-wheel sector is where the real revolution will be felt, at least for now. “Boda bodas are arguably the second biggest employers of the youth in Uganda after agriculture. And it is also the most common means of transport in a country with poor public transport infrastructure.” 

Banking on his experience in the boda boda business, and also significant research, Pius sought ways to contribute to the transition. “ For me, mobility is a passion of mine,” he explains. “And as more people adopt electric motorcycles, new problems will need to be solved, hence opportunities. That is why we launched Lyanda.” 

Lyanda seeks to fasten Uganda's transition to E-mobility. It seems to do this by empowering drivers with tools to ease this transition. The startup does this in two ways. 

“We don't manufacture bikes. We are a truly software company. We want to enable universal swap stations, that drivers can use to exchange batteries.” 

This is how Lyanda plans to do it. Currently, swap stations are set up by the manufacturers. A Zembo swap station will have no incentive to facilitate battery swaps of a GoGo Electric motorcycle. So Lyanda wants to bring in third parties who can put up facilities that can enable battery swaps of all companies under one roof. 

“Once MTN and Airtel outsourced mobile money to third parties, everything took off. This is possible with battery swap stations, but the tech needs to be available. We have built that tech.” 

With the Lyanda app, anyone can franchise and manage their swap station. Lyanda is the equivalent of getting a master agent line in the Mobile Money world. 

“You sign up on Lyanda with our station manager’s app.” 

The Lyanda Station Manager’s app is a powerful all-in-one solution designed to simplify the management of battery-swapping stations. 

Station owners, whether managing one location or multiple, can create an account and register their stations by providing essential details such as the station’s name, operating hours, location, battery capacity, and pricing per swap. 

To ensure security and compliance, the app also collects KYC information, including ownership licenses and national IDs. Once set up, owners gain access to a comprehensive dashboard featuring insightful analytics, displaying trends, daily earnings, and other key metrics. From the home screen, they can effortlessly add more stations, making it easy to scale their operations.

The app also streamlines workforce management by allowing owners to add employees per station, simply by entering their names and phone numbers, which triggers a login link. 

Owners can set custom permissions, control what data employees can access, and even assign shifts to track cashless earnings per employee. For owners with multiple stations across the country, the app consolidates financial data, providing a unified view of earnings from all locations. 

Payments from battery swaps are seamlessly deposited into the owner’s account, making the Lyanda Station Manager’s app not just a management tool, but a complete financial hub for station operations.

Lyanda is banking on a future where franchising battery swap stations will become the norm for savvy entrepreneurs, the same way fuel stations did. 

And to maximize income, these swap stations will enable swaps for GoGo, Spiro, Zembo and any other electric motorcycle manufacturers that might emerge in the future. These entrepreneurs will need the Lyanda’s tech to manage their operations smoothly. 

Lyanda also has the driver's app which helps drivers locate nearby swap stations, and book and pay for a battery swap online. 

“Currently, it takes about 5-10 minutes for a boda boda to do a swap, but with our online booking platform, we estimate it will take just a minute” says Pius, bullishly.  

Pius is confident Lyanda will onboarded the key electric motorcycle manufacturers onto its platform in the coming weeks. They are also doing internal tests for boda boda riders to use the app. 

Pius explains why the transition to E-mobility is important to him. “We have to transition from fossil fuels to E-mobility. But as e-bike manufacturers are doing their part, we need to build the infrastructure needed.” 

He further adds. “You can travel to any part of the country using fossil fuels powered motorcycles because the infrastructure of petrol stations exists everywhere. We need to be able to do the same with swap stations, and our Lyanda app should be able to do this.”.