Opibus was founded in 2017, just as electric mobility was taking off and electric cars were just appearing on our roads. Opibus’ vision is to make electric mobility accessible to a broader market by making the technology more cost-effective and simplifying deployment. The company focuses on all-electric conversion kits for fleet vehicles such as light trucks, public transportation and buses, as well as electric motorcycles and power systems. These focus areas were chosen to maximise impact as these vehicles are among the highest CO2 emitting vehicles on the market and represent a largely untapped opportunity. This will set the standard for electric mobility in Africa.
Opibus was founded as a research project at one of Sweden’s top technical universities with the aim of introducing electric mobility to emerging markets. This meant rethinking how the technology should be implemented and how it should be delivered. Kenya was chosen as the location for the headquarters because it is the fastest growing country in sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya, more and more used vehicles are being imported, which means that converting to electric drive really makes sense. Replacing combustion engines with electric systems, using the existing chassis and implementing proven technology creates a cost-effective second life for buses, trucks and fleet vehicles.