| Formerly | MAuto |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Electric vehicle |
| Founded | 2019 |
Key people | Kaushik Burman (CEO) |
| Website | www |
Spiro (formerly MAuto) is an African electric vehicle (EV) company headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and founded in 2019 with backing from Gagan Gupta's Equitane Group. [1] The company specializes in electric motorbikes and battery swapping infrastructure. [2] As of 2025, Spiro operates across six African countries: Togo, Benin, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, with a mission to reduce the continent's fossil fuel dependency. [2] [3] The CEO of the company is Kaushik Burman. [4] [5]
Spiro’s bikes have a range of 75 to 90 km depending on the usage and the model of the motorbike. [6] The EV bikes use batteries that take up to four hours to be charged. [7] Spiro's battery swapping model provides riders with access to swap stations - fast and slow chargers - and home charging options. [8]
Spiro allows its users with no traditional banking access to pay with MTN Mobile Money (MoMo card) in countries like Rwanda. [7]
Founded in 2019, Spiro received initial funding of USD 85 million from Equitane Group, formerly Africa transformation and industrialization fund (ATIF). [9] [1]
In 2022, Spiro launched in Togo and Benin. [4]
In May 2023, Spiro received an investment of USD 63 million from Société Générale, to finance its expansion in Kenya and Uganda. The goal of this funding was to add 15,700 additional motos in those countries. [6] [10] [1] The same year, it extended to Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Nigeria. In Uganda, Spiro partnered with the government to replace its boda bodas - an emission-heavy moto taxi fleet - with electric two-wheelers. [4]
In 2024, Spiro received USD 50 million from African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). [2] [11] [12] In May, Spiro was listed in the Time 100 Most Influential Companies 2024. [4]
In December 2023, the company declared having done five million battery swaps in its 175 swap stations. [13] In August of the same year Spiro launched twin assembly plants in Benin and Togo. [14]
In January 2024 Asset financing company Watu Credit and Spiro Kenya, announced a partnership to enhance access to financing for electric motorbikes in Kenya. [15]
In May 2024, the company declared a fleet of 14,000 electric two-wheelers, and nine million battery swaps in five countries. [4] [11] The same month, the company partnered with Max, a tech platform that democratises access to vehicle ownership. [16] [17] In July the startup overtook its competitor Ampersand, a Kigali based electric motorbike company. [18]
In september 2024, Spiro launched a manufacturing centre on Old Mombasa Road in Nairobi. [19]
In February 2025, Spiro declared having 18,000 bikes in circulation, 11 million battery swaps and 428 million CO2-free kilometres driven. [2] The company aims at having 2 million bikes in circulation in Africa by 2030. [10]
In 2025, Spiro plans to open two electric vehicle assembly plants in 2025 in Kenya and in Ogun State, Nigeria. [8] [20] [21] [22] [23] In January Spiro entered into a partnership with ZOOMe, an electric mobility firm in Nigeria. [24]