Adam Ridgway identified a problem in the market of traditional delivery bikes, they are both uncomfortable and inefficient. He then decided to explore the possibility of bringing in electric delivery bikes, which he believed could provide a solution.
After conducting research, development, and testing, Ridgway launched his product, One Moto in the UAE market.
Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, he continued to focus on building relationships and creating knowledge transfer.
“The opportunity cost from an environmental standpoint is quite vast and also complex because not everyone cares about the environment,” Ridgway, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of One Moto told decarbonisation news in an interview.
One Moto Technologies is a British mobility company specialised in electric motorcycles, bikes, and scooters. In collaboration with the Ministry of Industry of Advanced Technology in the UAE and other government organisations in the country, One Moto Technologies was able to grow and expand internationally. They have managed to facilitate connections and help to draft legislation.
The company plans to expand throughout the UAE by leasing in which they have committed an initial $40m to ensure we drive the EV adoption in our sector.
“Motorcycles pollute 50 times more than an SUV or a bus,” he said.
Ridgway explains that there are 92,000 motorcycles on the roads in Dubai producing 260,000 tonnes of C02, “which would take 290,000 acres of forest to sequester that amount of CO2,” he explains.
Motorcycles are considered more fuel-efficient than cars; however, they emit far more smog-forming hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen, and toxic air pollutant carbon monoxide.
“But not everyone cares. Whereas a lot of our customers care about profitability. So that’s another problem that we address,” he added.
The funding they secured will enable One Moto to further boost the transition towards zero-emission transportation, which in turn will promote a greener future for the UAE.
The commerciality to operate an EV fleet from One Moto, as an example, considering it has a 3-year lifespan, which is the current lifespan of a vehicle before it then gets sold, everything included is about 16,000 Dirhams over those 3 years, a much cheaper price then operating a petrol vehicle is just over 62,000 Dirhams, because of the fuel maintenance, servicing it gets more and more as the vehicles get older.
Nonetheless, riders in the UAE pay between 6 -800 dirhams a month for fuel, so they pay their fuel, which is 29% of their gross annual salary.
“ The reason why there hasn’t been that sort of dramatic uptake is purely for the reason that there are no EV incentives,” Ridgway explains.
EV remains new within the GCC market; therefore, there are no government incentives like there are in the rest of the world to have to make that switch to sustainable mobility.
A One Moto EV fleet has access to new capital to support the industry transition to EV which the UAE and other countries within the GCC have had their eyes on.
“The innovation in the background is quite deep,” Ridgway explains.
The company is continuously developing self-reliance and innovation in its business strategy, which includes the development of game-changing battery technology.
“We don’t just look at what the vehicles are now, but also what the vehicles are tomorrow, and what the components are tomorrow, from battery tech to composite materials to the drivetrain and so on,” he added.
