Kenyan electric mobility manufacturer Roam has launched Roam Explorer, an AI-enabled vehicle intelligence platform designed to help fleet operators monitor electric vehicles in real time across Africa. The companu has also confirmed to TechArena that it is opening the system to third-party EV manufacturers beyond its own fleet.
The platform connects electric motorcycles, tuk-tuks, buses and cars to a centralized digital dashboard that tracks battery health, performance metrics, location and usage patterns. It can be used on 2G, 3G and 4G networks and can also be accessed via SMS. This design choice makes the system usable in low-connectivity and non-smartphone environments common across African markets.
Habib Lukaya, Roam’s Country Manager, said: “Roam Explorer changes how electric fleets are managed. It moves us from reacting to problems to preventing them. By giving real-time visibility into battery health and vehicle performance, we are making electric fleets safer to operate and easier to finance.”
Hardware + Subscription Model
Roam Explorer follows a two-part commercial structure. Fleet operators purchase a hardware device that connects vehicles to the system, then pay an ongoing subscription fee to access the monitoring platform.
The company confirmed that the platform is not limited to Roam-manufactured vehicles. Third-party EV operators can purchase the device and subscribe to the service. This positions Explorer as a cross-brand intelligence layer for African electric fleets.
The artificial intelligence capabilities powering the system are currently cloud-based, enabling predictive maintenance insights by analysing battery performance, temperature, range behaviour and usage trends. Roam says edge computing capabilities may be explored in the future, but hardware and connectivity constraints mean processing is currently centralized in the cloud.
Beyond operational visibility, Roam Explorer is being positioned as a financing enabler.
The company confirmed that asset financiers such as M-KOPA are already using data from the platform. Real-time access to battery health and vehicle performance reduces uncertainty for lenders. This can help reduce the risk in the pay-as-you-go or asset-backed electric mobility financing models.
Giving financiers deeper insight into vehicle utilisation and battery degradation means that platforms like Explorer could influence how electric mobility assets are priced, insured and financed in the coming years.
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Also Read: Roam Launches Kenya’s First Fast Charging Station for Light Electric Vehicles
