After conquering Africa’s phones, Transsion wants to own its roads.

The Chinese company, which controls about half of Africa’s smartphone market, entered the continent’s electric vehicle race by introducing its TankVolt e-bikes in Uganda in 2023. Two years on, it has expanded into four other markets — Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia — targeting government contracts and partnerships with private fleets.

The company now ranks among Africa’s top three EV brands by number of units sold and aims for market leadership by next year, Daniel Nyakora, Transsion’s business development director for Nigerian operations, told Rest of World. “Our bikes and tricycles are market-leading in quality,” he said. “We offer great pricing and are partnering with financial institutions to offer flexible payment options.”

The Shenzhen-based company has bet on its distribution muscle to dominate the continent’s EV sector, riding on its understanding of African consumer preferences, combined with its manufacturing scale and distribution networks.

“TankVolt has clear advantages in leading Africa’s e-bike market in terms of capital, manufacturing capability, and supply chain expertise,” Tom Courtright, research director at EV advocacy firm Africa E-Mobility Alliance, told Rest of World. “Transsion can scale much quicker than most local startups.”

While still relatively small compared to China and Europe, Africa’s EV market is estimated at $17.41 billion in 2025, and is expected to reach $28.30 billion by 2030. Much of this is due to the surge in the adoption of electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers across the continent. Transsion faces competition from established players such as Cotonou and the Benin-based Spiro; several local startups including Ampersand and Roam in Kenya, and Dodai in Ethiopia; and Chinese company Yidea, which recently entered Ethiopia.

Transsion built its African smartphone empire through brands such as Tecno, Infinix, and Itel. It understood local consumer needs and offered competitive pricing with flexible payment options. In 2024, the company shipped 9.3 million smartphones to Africa, representing approximately 50% of the market share on the continent.

It has now applied the same strategy to electric mobility. TankVolt bikes, built at its Shenzhen facility, retail for about $1,500. While Ethiopia’s Dodai retails for about $1,800, Spiro and Roam are priced similarly to TankVolt.

TankVolt two-wheelers and three-wheelers come with built-in or swappable batteries. Transsion also leases batteries to third-party charging stations for a monthly fee — a facility it calls battery-as-a-service.

“We offer comprehensive solutions,” Chris Wen, head of EV projects at Transsion, told Rest of World. “This allows us to cater to a wider audience.”

Transsion also provides asset management and operation software to EV fleet companies. It already offers the battery-as-a-service facility in Tanzania, and plans to start it in Uganda by the end of June.

Across its markets, TankVolt sells directly to customers while recruiting resellers, financiers, and fleet owners as partners. In Kenya, partnerships include Watu Credit, Mogo Finance, and M-Kopa. Tanzania operations run through the Chinese local reseller King Lion.

Nigeria represents a key battleground where TankVolt courts logistics companies such as Max, Gigmile, and Swap Station Mobility. The Lagos-based Swap Station Mobility, which piloted with other EV brands before selecting TankVolt in December, chose the Chinese company for its technical capabilities and after-sales support.

“We selected TankVolt based on its technical capabilities, strong willingness to collaborate on after-sales, local parts availability, and future co-development,” Obiora Okoye, founder of Swap Station Mobility, told Rest of World.

TankVolt actively targets African governments, promoting clean mobility agendas. The strategy has shown early success with the Niger state government ordering 5,000 units in November. The company is in discussions with the Nigerian government and three provincial administrations, Nyakora said.

In Nigeria, the adoption of EVs is gradually becoming a mainstay among state governments. At least four states have either launched operational electric-vehicle fleets or announced their transition plans, which gives EV brands like Transsion a willing market to serve. The government’s focus reflects Transsion’s understanding that public sector adoption is a sure strategy to boost market acceptance and provide stable revenue streams, while building credibility with private customers.

Despite Transsion’s advantages, the more established players aren’t ceding ground easily. Spiro, known for partnering with the government of each country it operates in, leads in terms of the number of bikes sold and the depth of its charging infrastructure across Africa. TankVolt would also have to deal with Ampersand’s wide network in Rwanda, and Dodai’s in Ethiopia.

Niko Kadjaia, co-founder of Dar es Salaam-based EV startup Tri, acknowledges Transsion’s scaling experience but is doubtful of its cross-category replication.

“Transsion understands how to do business in Africa and clearly knows how to scale across the continent,” Kadjaia told Rest of World. “But it has to prove it can use the same playbook across product categories.”

Building a battery swapping infrastructure would be Transsion’s biggest challenge to scale across Africa’s markets, Courtright said. It will need local partners in every market, and its success depends on whether its partners are able to handle swapping operations internally or secure reliable infrastructure partners, he said.

Unlike most African EV brands that buy from Chinese manufacturers, Transsion controls its entire value chain from manufacturing to distribution. This vertical integration gives Transsion cost advantages over its rivals, according to Kayode Adeyinka, CEO and co-founder of Gigmile, a Lagos-based fintech mobility platform for gig workers.

“You really can’t bring down the cost of a product if you don’t have significant control over its production,” Adeyinka told Rest of World.

He said Transsion must navigate different regulatory environments, build charging infrastructure, or set up partnerships and prove that smartphone market dominance translates to transportation leadership across a continent where mobility needs vary dramatically between countries and regions.

“We’ve seen what Transsion is capable of,” Adeyinka said. “But making and selling vehicles and phones are two different things.”