Joshua Kijape drives slowly through the tall grass, listening to what can be heard from the bush. The noise from his motorcycle doesn't bother him: the ranger in the Masai Mara is electric.
Kijape has been patrolling the Kenyan national reserve on the border with Tanzania for around a year. The fact that it is much quieter brings it closer to the animals - and it also makes it easier for it to track down poachers.
“With this motorcycle I can get closer to the animals without disturbing them,” says the gamekeeper. “And if you follow poachers, they can’t hear you coming.”
Kijape's electric motorcycle is a piece of the puzzle in efforts to advance the energy transition in Africa and also bring it to reserves and national parks. Instead of gasoline engines, electric vehicles will roll through the steppes in the future. Environmental organizations are currently testing the possibilities in the Masai Mara. It's about the climate, about noise and about how costs can be saved by eliminating fuel consumption.
Right now, the annual wildebeest migration is attracting safari tourists. “Seeing electric vehicles reach the Masai Mara during the Great Migration is powerful evidence that the energy transition extends far beyond cities,” says Jason Knauf of Earthshot Prize, the environmental prize foundation founded by Britain’s Prince William.
“The Mara is one of the most challenging environments in the world, and if clean technology proves reliable, affordable and effective there, it will strengthen expansion to other nature reserves and remote communities,” explains Knauf.
“Nature is worth protecting, which is why we believe it is important to use our motorcycles and products there,” says the electric vehicle manufacturer Roam Electric in Nairobi, which also produces Ranger Kijape’s motorcycle. Avoiding noise contributes to a quiet, peaceful environment that benefits both the animals and tourists, says managing director Filip Lövström.
For his company, the deployment is also an acid test of how a locally manufactured electric motorcycle holds up on rough terrain, long distances and in remote areas.
Lövström also considers the economic aspect to be a crucial factor in driving forward the acceptance of e-mobility. “Instead of transporting petrol all the way from Mombasa port out into the countryside to fuel a number of petrol motorcycles, you can now charge them with solar energy,” he points out. “Exactly where you make a positive contribution to the environment.”
However, charging options are still scarce. Roam's electric motorcycle can travel around 160 kilometers before it needs to be recharged. This would require charging stations along longer routes. “Just as you need access to gasoline – which is really difficult today in an area like the Masai Mara – you now need access to electricity,” says Lövström. However, only relatively small solar and battery systems would be necessary for the charging stations.
The Emboo River Camp in the Masai Mara has been using electric safari vehicles since 2019. These are operated exclusively with solar power, explains co-chief Loic Amado. He is convinced of the advantages of electric cars: “They are quiet, sustainable, environmentally friendly and, above all, economical.”
Overall, only a few electrically powered safari cars are currently in operation in Kenya. Their operations are focused on the Mara region and a handful of other areas. But the concept is arousing the interest of large safari operators, says Amado.
Amado calculates that converting conventional vehicles that tourists have previously used for photo stalking costs between $35,000 and $45,000. However, this investment can pay for itself in around two and a half to three years through savings in fuel and maintenance.
“Everything runs on solar energy, and we have plenty of it,” says Amado. “Our goal is to make the Masai Mara climate neutral by 2035.”
