At dawn, Dorothy Mae Dumawal strolls past a fleet of electric three-wheeled vehicles charging at a government-owned parking lot in Pasig City, Philippines. In a short while, the vehicles, which belong to the Philippine Postal Corporation, will set off on mail runs across bustling Pasig City, part of metro Manila.
“Before this charging station, our drivers had to rush home whenever their batteries ran low,” says Dumawal, who manages the fleet. “Now, they can simply stop here, take a short break while charging and continue serving our community.”
The vehicles are among 30 deployed in Pasig City under a project led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). That effort is part of a larger push, funded by Germany’s International Climate Initiative, to speed the rollout of electric motorcycles and three-wheelers in nine countries across Asia and Africa.
The transition, say experts, is crucial to reducing air pollution and reining in greenhouse gas emissions, which today spew from hundreds of millions of smaller petrol-burning vehicles across both continents.
“Making up the largest percentage of the vehicle fleet in many African and Asian cities, two- and three-wheelers represent the low-hanging fruit in both regions’ transport electrification journey,” says Rob de Jong, Head of UNEP’s Sustainable Mobility Unit.
Asia is home to 490 million two- and three-wheelers and Africa some 27 million, according to data from UNEP. More than 90 per cent of those vehicles run on petrol.
In 2017, UNEP and the International Climate Initiative began rolling out electric vehicle pilot projects while supporting governments as they developed policies to speed the shift away from petrol-burners. The need for change is pressing. Asia alone adds 60 million two- and three-wheelers to its roads every year.
In parts of Southeast Asia where UNEP has worked, electric vehicles have begun to make headway. Viet Nam now boasts over 3 million electric two-wheelers among its 60 million motorcycles, while Thailand’s “30@30” policy aims for 30 per cent of vehicles produced to be electric by 2030. That goal has been backed by corporate tax incentives and robust charging infrastructure. Indonesia has focused on developing national policies to accelerate the transition to electric mobility.
“Making up the largest percentage of vehicle fleet in many African and Asiatic cities, two and three-wheelers represent the low-hanging fruit in both regions’ transport electrification journey.”
Meanwhile, municipalities in the Philippines, like Pasig City, have integrated electric two-and three-wheelers into city services. Following the success of the electric postal vehicles, Pasig City is considering installing charging stations at health centres, hospitals, public schools and gasoline stations, and making them a requirement for business permits.
Across the Indian Ocean, the UNEP-International Climate Initiative is also helping countries speed the shift to electric vehicles. With UNEP support, Kenya has emerged as a regional electric vehicle leader, with more than 3,200 electric motorcycles registered by 2023, supported by progressive policies, including tax exemptions. Ethiopia has taken the bold step to ban the import of all petrol-powered vehicles, media report and Burundi is developing policy frameworks for electric vehicles under a follow-up project funded by the Global Environment Facility.
In Uganda, where transport accounts for about half of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, the government has formulated an e-mobility strategy with support from UNEP. At the same time, companies and independent drivers have been testing electric vehicles through pilot projects. Because electricity is relatively inexpensive, some drivers reported earning triple what they did with petrol-powered vehicles.
“These electric motorbikes have transformed how we do business,” says driver Bashir Mutumba who covers 80-100 kilometres a day making deliveries for the Lulu Fish Farm.
In Uganda’s agricultural heartland, Pearl Rice, a farm, has integrated electric bikes into its operations: “The switch to electric has lowered our transportation expenses and improved our operational efficiency,” says Operations Director Davis Katanisa. Using the e-bikes, he added, has helped build the company’s reputation as an environmentally conscious business.
Those two success stories follow a 2018 pilot project that saw the International University of East Africa operate six electric motorcycles as part of a courier service. Experts at the school helped improve the mechanics and battery performance of the vehicles.
“When we first joined the project, there were less than ten electric motorcycles in Uganda. By the end of 2023, we had over 1,070 on the road,” says Andrew Bakashaba from the IUEA.
De Jong says UNEP’s electrification in efforts Africa and Asia are informed by science and in line with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the Earth’s temperature rise below 1.5°C. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, electric vehicles powered by low-emission electricity are the best way to reduce the carbon footprint of land-based transport.
UNEP’s Global Electric Mobility Programme supports over 60 countries in the Global South with US$130 million in grants to transition away from fossil fuels in the transportation sector. It advocates for e-mobility targets and policies globally, collaborating with the International Energy Agency through Global Working Groups, including the Global Working Group on Electric Two and Three-Wheelers. Regionally, UNEP partners with organizations, including the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank, and the Centro de Movilidad Sostenible to host support and investment platforms, fostering e-mobility marketplaces and capacity building to support policy development.
