Opibus is a mobility company headquartered in Kenya and which was born out of a research project in Sweden. The company focuses on all-electric conversion kits for fleet vehicles such as light trucks, public transport and buses, as well as electric motorcycles and energy systems.
Opibus was founded in 2017 as a research project at one of Sweden’s top technical universities. Its mission since inception was to implement electric mobility in emerging markets.
Of those emerging markets, Swedish cofounders Filip Lövström, Filip Gardler, and Mikael Gånge chose Kenya as the location of Opibus’s headquarters, naming it the fastest growing economy in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, Kenya already has over 86% renewable energy production.
The founders believed they could successfully focus on creating products tailored for the region with quality, price, and local production in mind. Kenya also has a growing amount of used vehicle imports, so electric conversions make perfect sense. Leveraging existing chassis with electrified technology offers a cost-effective second life for buses, trucks, and other fleet vehicles.
Currently, Opibus staff is based in Kenya. As a result, all of Opibus’s operations, management, and design takes place in Nairobi. The company currently has 88 employees, 40% of these being women across all fields. The company makes large efforts to ensure that it keeps talent locally for design and R&D purposes.
The company was founded around three electrified segments namely
- Conversion systems for utility and public transport.
- Ground up electric motorcycles.
- Energy systems such as battery storage, solar, and charging infrastructure.
With multiple vehicles in different segments already launched, Opibus has validated the vehicles in one of the harshest terrains in the world. Showing that electric deployment in emerging markets not only works better, but also makes financial sense.
Opibus electrified Land Cruiser mechanical specifications
Battery size: 38 or 58 kWh options
Power: 120 kW
Torque: 600 Nm (442.5 ft-lb.)
Top speed: Over 80 km/h (~50 mph)
Range: 90 or 140 km depending on battery size (56 or 87 miles)
Charging power: 6.6 kW
Charge time: 6 hours
Opibus electric motorcycle mechanical specifications
Battery capacity: 2×2.9 kWh
Power: 8,650 W
Torque: 165 Nm (~122 ft-lb.)
Range: 160 km (~100 miles)
Acceleration: (0-90 km/h): 5 seconds
Top speed: 90 km/h (~56 mph)