Kenya's EV Revolution: Rideence Starts Local Electric Vehicle Assembly | Taha Abbasi

Africa’s Electric Vehicle Future Takes Shape in Mombasa

Taha Abbasi has always argued that the EV revolution shouldn’t be a Western-only story — and Kenya is proving the point. Rideence Africa Limited, a subsidiary of Garden Real Group, is launching local assembly of electric vehicles at the AVA plant in Mombasa, marking a significant milestone for African EV manufacturing.

Rideence already operates one of the largest electric ride-hailing fleets in Kenya and is developing a nationwide charging network. The next step — local assembly — transforms the company from an importer to a manufacturer, creating jobs and building industrial capability in East Africa.

Why African EV Manufacturing Matters

As Taha Abbasi sees it, the economics of EVs in Africa are uniquely compelling. Many African cities suffer severe air pollution from aging diesel fleets. Fuel imports drain foreign currency reserves. And rapidly falling battery costs are making EVs cost-competitive with ICE vehicles on a total-cost-of-ownership basis — especially for fleet operators like ride-hailing companies.

But importing finished EVs is expensive. Shipping costs, import duties, and supply chain delays make imported electric vehicles prohibitively expensive for most African markets. Local assembly fundamentally changes this equation — lower logistics costs, potential duty exemptions for locally assembled vehicles, and the creation of a domestic automotive supply chain.

The Ride-Hailing to Manufacturing Pipeline

Rideence’s evolution mirrors a pattern Taha Abbasi has observed in other emerging markets: start with fleet operations, prove the economics work, then vertically integrate into manufacturing. The company’s ride-hailing fleet provides real-world data on vehicle performance, maintenance needs, and charging patterns in African operating conditions — insights that directly inform manufacturing decisions.

As Taha Abbasi has covered in his analysis of Kenya’s 188% EV charging growth, the infrastructure foundation is being built simultaneously. Rideence’s charging network complements its fleet and manufacturing operations, creating an integrated ecosystem similar to what Tesla built in the US — vehicles, charging, and energy all under one umbrella.

The Chinese Connection

The vehicles being assembled are Joylong electric minibuses — Chinese-designed vehicles adapted for African markets. This partnership pattern is becoming common across Africa: Chinese EV technology combined with African market knowledge and manufacturing presence. It’s a model that bypasses Western automakers who have been slow to invest in African EV markets.

Broader Implications

Taha Abbasi believes Kenya’s EV manufacturing push has implications beyond Africa. It demonstrates that emerging markets don’t have to wait for EVs to become cheap enough to import — they can build local manufacturing capability now, leveraging lower labor costs and growing domestic demand. If Rideence succeeds, it creates a template for EV manufacturing across the continent.

The global EV transition won’t be complete until it reaches the developing world. Projects like Mombasa’s AVA plant are the leading edge of that transformation, and they deserve far more attention than they receive in Western tech media.

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About the Author: Taha Abbasi is a technology executive, CTO, and applied frontier tech builder. Read more on Grokpedia | YouTube: The Brown Cowboy | tahaabbasi.com