A Lagos-based renewable energy firm, Janus Cleantech, has introduced Nigeria’s first electric tricycles for passengers and cargo, a move aimed at cutting transport costs and boosting energy access for households and small businesses.

The new vehicles, unveiled on Tuesday in Lagos, come in two models — Ketekete and Ayoka. According to the company’s Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Olushola Ogunniyi, the tricycles are designed not only for urban and rural transportation but also as portable energy solutions.

Ogunniyi explained that conventional petrol tricycles consume as much as 60 per cent of operators’ daily income on fuel, a challenge the new electric models seek to resolve by offering lower running costs and higher efficiency.

The tricycles are powered by swappable Janus Helia lithium batteries, available in 9.6kWh and 7.2kWh capacities. The Internet of Things-enabled batteries allow remote monitoring and feature Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) and Vehicle-to-Business (V2B) functions. With these, parked tricycles can serve as mobile power banks — supporting uses like charging phones, powering barber shops, or running small-scale agro-processing equipment.

“One fully charged 9.6kWh battery can supply electricity to a three-bedroom apartment for an entire day, providing households with dependable power,” Ogunniyi noted.

To complement the vehicles, Janus Cleantech has also developed Sunbred solar hubs — containerised stations where drivers can swap batteries and recharge. These hubs double as community energy centres and are expected to generate two to three jobs each.

The company said the project aligns with its mission to provide affordable clean transport and energy solutions, tackling both fuel dependency and unreliable electricity supply that hinder economic activities in Africa.