Driving Greener Mobility

Motorcycle taxis provide an important means of transportation and support economic livelihoods across Latin America, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, existing moto-taxis are largely petrol-based, with significant negative externalities for both the environment and human health. Whilst electric motorcycles may address these negative externalities, the benefits of an electrified fleet will depend on the extent to which electric motorcycles replace existing petrol models (the extensive margin of adoption) and kilometers traveled (the intensive margin of use).

In partnership with an e-mobility company in East Africa, this pilot will randomize a promotional period of reduced fuel costs on top of a credit contract offer for an electric motorcycle. The pilot results will inform the design of a future full study. We will measure the effects on electric motorcycle adoption and usage, as well as on welfare and implied reductions in pollution resulting from the adoption and usage of this new technology. The results will additionally inform policy in the rapidly-developing space of e-mobility deployments in low-to-middle income settings.