Also abandons Kenya e-motorcycle pilot to prioritize e-bikes and autonomous vehicles

Also, the micromobility startup that spun out of Rivian in 2025, quietly ended its electric motorcycle pilot in Kenya earlier this year. The decision came after the company completed only early-stage work and chose to redirect resources toward its consumer e-bike line and a partnership-driven autonomous-vehicle program. For investors and founders, the move underscores the pressure on early-stage hardware firms to concentrate on the most immediate revenue opportunities.

The Kenyan effort was funded by a grant from the Shell Foundation, a charitable arm of the British oil major Shell plc. According to a now-removed section of the foundation’s website, the grant aimed to “enable and de-risk global OEM entry into Africa’s EV market by piloting a locally integrated electric two-wheeler platform in Kenya, with potential to scale across East Africa.” Also was expected to develop modular battery packs, distributed charging solutions, and a purpose-built electric motorcycle tailored to African riders.

Africa’s two-wheeler market is expanding rapidly. Mobility company Spiro reports more than 130,000 electric motorcycles operating in seven countries and 2,500 battery-swapping stations. Chinese manufacturers and venture capital firms have also begun investing heavily in the segment, seeing it as a high-growth opportunity. The withdrawal of a Rivian-derived player therefore removes a potential source of competition and collaboration for local operators.

In a September email to TechCrunch, Also said it had explored the Kenyan project with an unnamed partner but ultimately “decided to focus on its core roadmap” after completing only preliminary work. The company added that the Shell Foundation grant “will follow the project to support its ongoing development,” though no further financial details were disclosed. The Shell Foundation confirmed the grant’s intent to generate data on driver income, operational performance, and commercial viability, but declined to share specifics, citing a nondisclosure agreement with Also. The project page was removed from the foundation’s site shortly thereafter.

Also’s co-founder and president Chris Yu explained at TechCrunch Disrupt that the Kenya pilot aligned with the company’s mission to build small, cost-optimized vehicles for specific markets. However, the urgency of the autonomous-vehicle effort, conducted in partnership with DoorDash, took precedence. Yu said he believes “autonomy will show up first, and at a broader scale in these types of purpose-built smaller vehicles than at scale in passenger vehicles,” and that the company needed to concentrate its engineering and capital on that track.

The shift in focus coincided with a rocky first year of independence for Also. Supply-chain disruptions repeatedly delayed deliveries of its flagship product, the TM-B premium e-bike. Customers who reserved the bike in 2025 faced a year-long wait, and the company’s communication was sparse. Yu later acknowledged the poor outreach, describing it as a mistake that forced the firm to “earn the opportunity for people to care” through direct feedback on forums such as Reddit.

After months of “whac-a-mole” supply-chain challenges, including competition for printed-circuit-board materials used in AI data centers and complex certification processes, the TM-B began shipping in early October. Early owners have reported issues such as delivery damage and battery drain, but the company says it is addressing them while improving its update cadence.

Looking ahead, Also plans to expand beyond consumer e-bikes into commercial cargo bikes for large logistics firms, including Amazon, and to roll out four-wheeled models. The autonomous-vehicle partnership with DoorDash remains a key revenue driver. Success will hinge on the firm’s ability to stabilize its first product launch, maintain transparent customer communication, and translate its hardware expertise into scalable commercial offerings. The Kenya withdrawal may be a cautionary note for founders weighing market expansion against the need to secure a reliable core business.