Spiro Acquires Coexlion to Build Africa EV Motorbike R&D Hub
TLDR
- Spiro acquired UK-based engineering firm Coexlion to establish its first African R&D center in Nairobi, enhancing its capacity for electric motorcycle design and testing.
- Coexlion brings expertise in battery sizing, concept design, and production validation, reducing Spiro's reliance on imported design and engineering.
- With a strong presence in Kenya and other African markets, Spiro aims to develop vehicles tailored for local usage through its planned Nairobi R&D center.
Spiro acquired UK-based engineering firm Coexlion for an undisclosed sum as the electric motorcycle company moves to build its first African research and development centre in Nairobi.
The deal gives Spiro in-house capacity to design, test and improve electric motorcycles for African roads, rider habits and commercial use. Coexlion has worked with companies including Triumph, Hero, Ather Energy, Ola and Arc, and has experience across battery sizing, concept design, supplier selection, production validation and assembly-line rollout.
Spiro currently assembles bikes from knockdown kits imported from China, with some spare parts sourced from India. Its Nairobi assembly plant has annual capacity of up to 50,000 electric motorcycles. The Coexlion acquisition is aimed at reducing dependence on imported design and engineering over time.
The company says it has about 100,000 electric motorcycles on African roads, more than 2,500 battery-swapping stations and over 30 million battery swaps completed. Its markets include Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Togo and Benin. In Kenya, Spiro said it captured 52% of new electric motorbike sales in 2025.
The planned Nairobi R&D centre will give Spiro access to local usage data, rider feedback and road conditions as it develops vehicles for boda boda riders and other commercial users. The move follows a $100 million investment led by Afreximbank’s Fund for Export Development in Africa and supports Spiro’s plan to build an electric mobility network designed for African markets.
Points clés à retenir
Spiro’s acquisition of Coexlion shows that Africa’s electric mobility market is moving from import and assembly toward local engineering. Most electric motorcycles used on the continent are still based on designs built for other markets, then adapted for African roads. That creates problems when riders face rough terrain, heavy daily use, heat, dust and long operating hours. For boda boda riders, the motorbike is not only transport; it is an income-generating asset. A weak battery, poor frame design or high maintenance cost can reduce earnings. By bringing engineering closer to its largest market, Spiro can test products under real conditions and improve them faster. The Nairobi R&D centre could also help Kenya build deeper skills in battery systems, vehicle design, software, diagnostics and manufacturing. The challenge will be turning engineering control into lower costs and better products at scale. Spiro still relies on imported batteries, motors and parts, so localisation will take time. But the deal is a sign that Africa’s EV sector is beginning to move beyond distribution into product ownership.
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