Transsion, known as the “King of African Mobile Phones”, is accelerating its layout in the electric motorcycle market. With its mature localization strategy and supply chain advantages, its TankVolt brand has opened up in many African countries. In the first quarter of 2025, Transsion’s net profit fell by nearly 70% year-on-year, and the sluggish growth of its mobile phone business forced it to accelerate its transformation.

In 2022, the company established a mobility division and launched the electric two-wheeler/three-wheeler brand TankVolt, focusing on the African market. In 2023, the first model landed in Uganda, priced at about $1,500, and supported the battery swap mode. Within two years, it entered Nigeria, Kenya and other countries, ranking among the top three electric vehicle sales in Africa. Transsion has replicated the successful experience of its mobile phone business in the field of electric vehicles: enhancing vehicle passability and adapting to rugged road conditions; the battery supports low-voltage charging to cope with unstable power supply; launching a battery leasing service (BaaS) to lower the threshold for users to buy electric vehicles; and piloting a battery swap network in Nigeria to solve charging problems.

The African electric motorcycle market is on the eve of an explosion. Rwanda has banned the import of fuel motorcycles; Kenya plans to promote 200,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2024. After Nigerian riders switch to electric vehicles, they can save 40%-60% of fuel and maintenance costs each month. But at the same time, Transsion faces many challenges: charging stations are scarce in Africa and the power supply is unstable; local brands such as Ampersand and Roam have occupied part of the market (Spiro operates more than 22,000 electric motorcycles in 7 countries); the research and development capabilities of the three-electric system (battery, motor, and electronic control) need to be improved.

Transsion’s advantage lies in its mature channel network and localized operation experience. If it can continue to optimize its products and expand its battery swap network, it is expected to replicate the success of its mobile phone business in the African electric vehicle market. However, infrastructure restrictions and intensified competition are still the thresholds it must overcome.