- Home
- Electric Vehicles
- ARC Ride
- ARC Ride Bidii Boda
ARC Ride Bidii Boda
- Battery Capacity: 2.88 kWh total
- Top Speed: 90 km/h
- Battery Type: LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) — Swappable
- Charging Time:
PROS
- The largest battery-swap network in Kenya — over 80 Nairobi sites operating 24 hours
- A 5.1 kW motor with a 90 km/h top speed and dual-battery range of 85 km puts it within the working range of most urban and peri-urban boda routes.
- At KES 186,650 with a KES 25,000 entry deposit, it is significantly cheaper upfront than the Roam Air at KES 292,000
CONS
- The bike's 85 km range on two 1.44 kWh batteries is adequate for city work but restricts riders who operate beyond Nairobi's current swap network coverage
- Availability is currently limited to Kenya, with no confirmed rollout to other African markets
The ARC Ride Bidii Boda is an electric motorcycle manufactured by ARC Ride, a Nairobi-based electric mobility company founded in 2019. It sits as the mid-range, higher-performance model in ARC Ride’s two-motorcycle lineup, positioned above the entry-level Corbett and aimed squarely at professional boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) riders. The Bidii Boda is a single-track, rear-wheel-drive electric commuter motorcycle built on a battery-as-a-service (BaaS) model — one of the first purpose-built electric boda-boda motorcycles to anchor a large-scale swappable battery network in East Africa.
The Bidii Boda is powered by a 5.1 kW motor, reaches a top speed of 90 km/h, and delivers a range of approximately 85 kilometres. It runs on LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries rated at 1.44 kWh each, and the motorcycle can carry two batteries simultaneously. Because the bike is designed around swapping rather than plug-in charging, conventional AC/DC charge rate and 10–80% time benchmarks do not directly apply — riders exchange depleted packs at ARC Ride’s network rather than charging in place. ARC Ride operates over 80 battery-swap sites across Nairobi, running 24 hours a day. Specific per-battery charge time figures have not been officially published.
The Bidii Boda is priced at KES 186,650 in Kenya (approximately $1,430 USD at current rates), with financing available from a KES 25,000 deposit through lenders such as MOGO. It targets full-time boda-boda drivers and gig economy workers — particularly those operating in dense urban corridors who can realistically access swap stations daily. Within ARC Ride’s own ecosystem, it sits above the entry-level Corbett (1.2 kW, 60 km/h, 60 km range) and has no third model above it currently. Externally, it competes with the Roam Air (KES 292,000) and Spiro‘s East Africa models at similar working-rider price points. The closest direct comparison for spec and price is the Roam Air, which offers plug-in charging as an alternative model to ARC Ride’s swap-only approach.
ARC Ride Bidii Boda Images
Full Specifications
LAUNCH
| Announced | 2023 |
| Status | On Sale |
| Country of origin | Kenya (Nairobi) |
| Base Price | KES 186,650 (~$1,300 USD) |
Electric Motorcycle Overview
| Models | Bidii Boda (single variant) |
| motorcycle type | Electric Commuter / Boda-Boda Taxi |
| Battery Type | LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) — Swappable |
| Battery Capacity | 1.44 kWh per pack × 2 packs = 2.88 kWh total |
| Motor | Rear hub motor |
| transmission | Single-speed (direct drive) |
| Rated / Max Power | 5.1 kW peak |
| Charging Input Voltage | N/A — Battery swap model (no plug-in charging port for traction pack) |
| Charger Output | N/A — Batteries charged at ARC Ride swap stations |
| Charging Time | Under 1 minute (battery swap); station recharge time not published |
| Top Speed | 90 km/h |
| Range | ~85 km (dual battery) |
Dimensions & Build
Reviews
Disclaimer Note
We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct
