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Paul Wawell goes shopping.
He’s looking for an old laptop battery. Although it cost him just 50 Kenyan shillings ($0.50) per piece, this Kenyan high school physics teacher found an innovative use for waste.
They power the bike. After collecting items from dealers in Nairobi, he takes the shipment back to his workshop.
Here, he classifies them and separates them into functioning and non-functioning cells.
Waweru assembles them into batteries so they can power electric bikes. He was inspired to come up with this innovation after running into trouble with his purchased bike.
“In Kenya no one was selling e-bikes, so we had to import them,” he explains.
“It came with some batteries known as lead-acid. Then a few months later, due to technology, the batteries stopped working. I was grounded again and couldn’t go to work. So my ingenuity and innovation allowed me to source low cost batteries and that’s how I came across laptop batteries.”
He started a company called Ecomobilus to supply laptop battery powered bicycles.
He collects frames from old bikes, removes the engine and replaces it with a battery and a motor that propels the bike.
They run on 60V DC. It takes a few hours to charge the battery, but 45 minutes with the fast charger.
A fully charged battery can travel up to 100 kilometers. He says his invention compares very well with conventional motorcycles.
“Ecomobilus bikes have advantages over other petrol-powered bikes. First and foremost is the cost of maintenance. Ecomobilus bikes are maintenance free as there are no mechanical parts that need to be repaired frequently. At least 2 For years, the engine is gone, so we’re dealing with motors,” he says.
“Second, charging is much (more) affordable compared to refueling. They say they use it for less than $3 for a full charge. I spend more than $7 a day to run the same bike.So in terms of cost this is more cost effective and secondly in terms of maintenance this is very easy to maintain .
couriers and delivery drivers
They are used all over the city by couriers and delivery drivers.
Some say they are saving money by switching from petrol (gas) fueled bikes to these electric versions.
“The other one was expensive in terms of fuel and time, but with the electric one, it takes less time and is more efficient. It saves fuel. $2) and you’ll be fine for the rest of the day,” says driver John Mwangi.
He’s been using his bike for about 6 months now.
It also has a certificate from electric mobility specialist Dennis Wakaba.
“The use of new batteries will extend the life of electric vehicles, but the use of secondary batteries is very important, especially in terms of climate change mitigation. It saves the process of assembling and shipping a new battery.
“The other is to increase the number of electric vehicles by allowing secondary batteries to be used in the modification of motorcycles and other electric vehicles. We are trying to reduce pollution.Another way is noise pollution.There is no doubt that if there is less noise pollution, people will be happier.”
Besides helping the environment, batteries are easily sourced in Kenya, making them a long-term option for residents who need to move.
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