Paul Waweru, a Kenyan high school physics teacher, has found an innovative use for old laptop batteries. He buys the batteries from dealers in Nairobi for KSH 50 ($0.50) per piece and then sorts and assembles them into a battery that can be used to power electric motorbikes. He was inspired to come up with this innovation after the batteries of an imported electric bike he bought stopped working after a few months. Waweru founded a company called Ecomobilus to supply his laptop-battery powered bikes. The bikes run on a 60V direct current and a fully charged battery can travel a distance of up to 100 kilometres. He says his invention compares very well to traditional motorbikes in terms of cost of maintenance.
Photo Credit: Jonny Kennaugh