An electric vehicle manufacturer that focuses on the African market has opened a 10,000 square metre plant in Nairobi, from which it plans on producing 50,000 motorcycles a year.
The facility, off Mombasa Road overlooking the Nairobi National Park, will serve as the East African headquarters for Roam, a Kenyan-Swedish company, as well as its production line and battery labs.
Its operations are being led by by chief operations officer Brett Mangel, who previously worked at Tesla.
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“This new facility will allow for an expanded production and have an annual capacity of 50,000 motorcycles while staying a carbon-neutral assembly, which are the goals in the coming years,” Roam said.
The company, founded in 2017, said the investment in the new facility is part of its effort to scale up commercial mass production of the Roam Air motorcycle (which retails for $1,500) as well as improve efficiency.
“This new location will enable Roam’s engineers and technicians to increase capacity throughout the assembly process and improve overall safety and quality.”
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The new premises will also combine the production, distribution, and storage operations under one roof, creating a technology hub and reducing the company’s overall carbon footprint.
Roam has more than 150 highly skilled employees, within design, engineering and production. The company said its growth is expected to continue in 2023 as it expands in East Africa to meet local demand.
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“Moving ahead with this new production facility represents a significant step forward in bringing sustainable mobility solutions to Kenya,” said Brett Mangel. “With some of the brightest talent, key partners, and access to a good infrastructure and logistics network, Roam is confident that this new location is a step in the right direction.”
Roam’s head of production, Japheth Ruttoh, said: “I am very proud of the team for the work they’re doing during this phase of expansion. It’s exciting to envision the improvements in production efficiency we will achieve and the new jobs that will be created as we continue to grow.”
