Spiro (formerly Mauto)

Spiro, formerly known as MAuto, is a leading electric vehicle (EV) company headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Founded in 2019 with backing from Gagan Gupta's Equitane Group, Spiro specializes in electric motorbikes and battery-swapping infrastructure. As of 2025, the company operates in six African countries: Togo, Benin, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria, aiming to reduce the continent's reliance on fossil fuels. Spiro's electric bikes offer a range of 75 to 90 km, depending on usage and model, with batteries that take up to four hours to charge. The company has established a network of battery swap stations, including fast and slow chargers, and provides home charging options. To enhance accessibility, Spiro allows users without traditional banking access to pay using mobile money platforms like MTN Mobile Money in countries such as Rwanda.
In 2023, Spiro expanded its operations by launching assembly plants in Benin and Togo and received significant investments, including 63 million from Société Générale and 50 million from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), to support its growth in Kenya and Uganda. By May 2024, the company had a fleet of 14,000 electric two-wheelers and had completed nine million battery swaps across five countries. Spiro aims to have two million electric bikes in circulation in Africa by 2030.