Traversing six countries in Africa relying solely on solar power. This wasn’t a futuristic car, nor a large truck with solar panels on its roof, but an electric motorcycle engineered to conquer dusty roads, heat, and the unique challenges of the continent.
That is exactly what Stephen Lacock, a young researcher from Stellenbosch University in South Africa, undertook. Over several weeks, he and a small team rode 6,000 kilometers — from Nairobi, Kenya, to their campus in Stellenbosch. Their goal was simple yet ambitious: to prove that clean energy could power Africa, one solar battery at a time.
Electric Motorcycle, Solar Power, and a New Hope
The vehicle they used was no ordinary bike. It’s called Roam Air, the result of a collaboration between African electric mobility companies and local universities. This motorcycle features a swappable battery and a portable solar charging station that can be carried along.
Throughout the journey, the bike encountered unforgiving terrain — from gravel roads in Tanzania, the dry plains of Zambia, to rocky trails at the Namibia border. But it was in those conditions that the Roam Air shone. It kept going, bathed in Africa’s blazing sunlight, as if symbolizing that the continent’s greatest resource — sunlight — could be the key to its energy future.
“This journey is not just about technology,” Lacock said in an interview with Nature in July 2025. “It’s about showing that Africa can innovate in its own way.”
From mountains to oceans, delivered to you. Follow us on Lingkar Bumi WhatsApp Channel.
This long trip didn’t come without challenges. Sometimes the solar panels were covered in dust. At a few points, GPS signals were lost, and the motorcycle’s battery nearly ran out before they found a charging point.
Yet each obstacle turned into a lesson. Lacock realized that green technology must not only be efficient — it must also be rugged and adaptable to local realities.
He also learned that in a cross-continent expedition like this, plans can shift hour by hour. Sometimes extreme weather forced them to stop for days; other times the bike’s tire burst in the middle of nowhere without signal. But it was in those moments that the team spirit was tested — and forged.
A Laboratory on the Road
This expedition was a living research project. Throughout the trip, the team collected data on solar charging efficiency, battery performance, and power consumption under different road conditions. That data is now being used to design electric motorcycles more resistant to extreme weather and more efficient in off-grid regions.
“Through this journey, we didn’t just bring technology to Africa — we brought Africa into the technology,” Lacock said.
When their motorcycle finally rolled into the gates of Stellenbosch University, the team had done more than complete a technical mission. They had carried home a story of hope.
That innovation doesn’t have to come only from Silicon Valley; the future of clean energy could be born on rocky roads in Africa, beneath the same sky that shines across the world.
Now, Roam Air is a small symbol of a bigger movement — a movement toward sustainable mobility that is not only environmentally friendly but socially relevant in the African context.
And who knows — someday, solar-powered motorcycles like this might become an everyday sight — not only in Nairobi or Cape Town, but also in Jakarta, Bandung, or even remote villages in Indonesia. (Sulung Prasetyo)
