Spiro Partners with Yadea — The World's Largest EV Maker Accelerates Togo's Electric Mobility Revolution
Electric mobility company Spiro, which launched in Togo in 2022, has signed a strategic partnership with China's Yadea — the world's largest manufacturer of electric two-wheelers — combining Yadea's manufacturing scale with Spiro's 2,500-station battery-swapping network across Africa.
The partnership, announced on September 14, 2026, from Dubai, brings together two of Africa's most significant electric mobility actors. Spiro — Africa's largest electric motorcycle and battery-swapping platform, headquartered and operational in Togo since 2022 — has signed a supply and co-development agreement with Yadea Technology Group, the Hong Kong-listed Chinese company that claims to be the world's leading manufacturer of electric two-wheelers with over 100 million vehicles sold across more than 100 countries.
What the Partnership Delivers
Under the agreement, Yadea will supply electric two-wheelers and related products to Spiro's markets — which include Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Cameroon. Critically, the two companies will also co-develop motorcycle models specifically designed for African road conditions and commercial use — a detail that matters enormously for adoption in markets where most EVs are imported generic models that underperform on unpaved roads and high-temperature environments.
Spiro will integrate Yadea vehicles into its proprietary battery-swapping infrastructure, allowing riders to swap a depleted battery for a fully charged one in minutes rather than waiting for a full recharge — the model that has driven Spiro past 30 million completed battery swaps since its launch.
Togo's Role — and Its Tax Advantage
Togo was among Spiro's first two West African markets, alongside Benin, when the company launched in 2022. The country has since provided a supportive regulatory environment: since 2024, Togo's finance law has included import tax exemptions on batteries for electric vehicles — a specific measure that reduces the cost of operating Spiro's battery-swapping model and accelerates the economics of EV adoption for commercial riders.
The Spiro-Yadea partnership is also backed by substantial capital. Following a $270 million funding round completed in June 2026 — which included a $55 million investment from China's NewTrails Capital — Spiro is now in active expansion mode. Togo benefits from being an established operational base as the company scales its infrastructure and geographic reach.
The Bigger Picture for Togo
Electric mobility in Togo is not a niche technology story — it is a logistics and cost story. Motorcycle taxis (zemidjans) are one of the most common forms of urban transport in Lomé and across Togo's secondary cities. The economics of EV versus petrol-powered motorcycles are increasingly competitive, particularly as fuel prices remain elevated. A partnership of this scale, between Africa's leading EV operator and the world's largest EV manufacturer, with Togo as a core operational market, positions the country at the centre of a structural shift in how West Africans move.