People need to move. Whether it’s to go to school or buy the basics, we need to move from one place to another, but the way we do it has a profound impact on other species and on the planet itself. There are many reasons for this, but a large part of it is due to the use of fossil fuels to power our vehicles, planes and rockets.
While electric vehicles could help transition away from fossil fuels much faster, the changes needed to reduce emissions and avoiding some of the absolute worst effects of the climate emergency require more far-reaching changes.
A report of the Institute for Transportation Development Policy (ITDP) and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) says that electric cars alone will not save us: the only way we can keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius is a combination of electrification and increased urban density. The researchers say electric vehicles need to be combined with a much larger effort to make cities bikeable and walkable to curb climate emissions.
And the vehicles themselves don’t come without challenges. While the greenhouse gas emissions don’t come directly from electric vehicles, they do run on electricity that is still produced primarily from fossil fuels. The energy is also used to extract minerals that batteries depend on, such as lithium and cobalt, and to make vehicles. Not to mention the vast amounts of energy required to ship vehicles from manufacturers to global markets. Human rights groups have also drawn attention to abuses in the supply chain of these minerals, such as child laborers working in dangerous conditions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Produce and burn fossil fuels creates air pollution that harms our health and generates toxic emissions that drive climate change.
Nigeria’s energy crisis
Weather Nigeria is the largest producer of crude oil in Africa., a lack of refining capacity means the country often experiences fuel supply problems. This means that, despite being a major producer of crude oil, Nigeria is strongly dependent on fuel imports.
But we are rapidly running out of time to reduce carbon emissions and limit the worst effects of the climate crisis, and this means that moving away from fossil fuels is both a challenge and an opportunity. To keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C this century, we must halve annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, a goal scientists say is already out of reach. This means that exposure to air pollution beyond safe guidelines will increase by 50 percent within the decade and plastic waste flowing into aquatic ecosystems will nearly triple by 2040.
Nigerian entrepreneur Olukokun Tolulope cares as much about the bottom line as he does about social inclusion. He is the founder and CEO of Think Electric Africaan organization with a mission to accelerate Africa’s transition to renewable energy and sustainable transport.
he also runs thinkbikes – a micromobility company that locally manufactures two- and three-wheelers for the transport of goods and people in the last mile. The bike share service operates in higher education institutions, farms and factories in Nigeria through the use of a mobile app and is driven by a passion to empower the youth of their country.
Tolulope is the fourth child in a family of five from Kajola, Oyo State, in the southwestern region of Nigeria. He proceeded to school in that area and majored in mechanical engineering, earning a master’s degree in the field. He has always been a business person at heart who had been running an ICT company before graduating. “He was teaching people and creating software for a variety of clients, both government and commercial. During my academic years, I had a lot of fun registering two or three businesses.”
But how did Tolulope make the transition from construction software to electric vehicles?
On January 1, 2012, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan announced the elimination of the government subsidy on fuels. This meant a rise in the price of gasoline. Most Nigerians only saw the negative impact the changes had on their daily lives, leading to a severe backlash against the government and mass protests under the banner “Occupy Nigeria” in major cities. But the move prompted Tolulope to consider how she could get to his office without using fuel. Turning necessity into opportunity, he decided that he wanted to launch an electric vehicle company.
In the midst of research and following that desire, he decided to study computer science. “I was interested because I was already in ICT, developing software and studying mechanical engineering, and computing gives me a different perspective on how things work. I later found myself in the engineering and mechatronics departments, and have been lecturing for the last 10 years.”
However, this was not going to be an easy ride for him.
Just after converting two vehicles from gasoline to electric power, he quickly realized that retrofitting cars is quite expensive. “I wasn’t going to have a reasonable business converting cars, so I had to look at what else might be a good business case for mobility, and electric bikes came up.”
Initially, he planned to rent bicycles to people who wanted to travel from one place to another. But then he realized that cargo bikes could make more money. This was not only a big deal, but also a win for the climate, because cargo bikes have been found to be faster and much cleaner than traditional vans in the last-mile logistics and distribution sectors.
“Now, the idea was to buy these cargo bikes. Bring them in and start leasing them to small businesses. But the cost was too high, he couldn’t afford it. That’s when I challenged myself that, after all, I’m a mechanical engineer, I should be able to make bikes.”
Their bikes offer significant co-benefits such as reduced energy imports, green growth and local job creation in Nigeria. They also help reduce the health risks posed by vehicles for women and children, who are more vulnerable to the impact of air pollution. And bicycle deliveries not only help reduce CO2 emissions, they also reduce noise pollution.
“I didn’t know much about climate change in 2012, but as I learned more about the situation, it became a mission,” Tolulope said. “I have what it takes. I have the knowledge and experience to help mitigate the effects of climate change.”
Since then, ThinkBikes has received recognition in the form of various awards. In 2021, the company made it to the top 10 global grand finals of ClimateLaunchpad (CLP), the world’s largest cleantech business ideas competition. “We entered the competition from a national to regional level, then to the world Top 16,” he said. The award turned up Tolulope’s volume and his project and he put up his own money and quit his job shortly after the competition.
In 2020, Tolulope became the winner of the Under-40 African Green Award and was named a Global Youth Climate Network ambassador for 2021. In March 2022, the Savvy Fellows announced Tolulope as one of four finalists to share the Savvy Award. 2022 of 4450 US dollars for Impact – Motivated Entrepreneurs. Savvy is a virtual scholarship program for bright, passionate young professionals who want to be part of the next generation of impact entrepreneurs. It recognizes and supports the efforts of innovators who are working to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems through innovative and sustainable ways.
Currently operates the Think Electric Africa YouTube Channel, where he shares skills related to clean technology and sustainable energy. “I teach them the skills they need to be sustainable, like how to create a biogas digester and how to do things cleanly, and quite a few people have been able to do things for themselves,” she said.
ThinkBikes’ journey has not been easy. This is the first time this has been done in Nigeria and it was one of the first in Africa. So the company has made numerous mistakes along the way. “We don’t have a standard to follow, so we have to learn on the job. And we’ve been to the market several times,” Tolulope said.
Many leaders can pull off an amazing presentation, but they always give credit to the people who helped them shine. Also Tolulope. He believes that team development is one of the most critical aspects of running a successful company. “Building a team is the hardest thing in any business and the right thing to do, I think, is an ongoing thing. So basically people who are inefficient will drag you down one way or another. I had problems with the people I started with. They couldn’t see clear vision. They finally left.”
Don’t blame them, though, because startups take time to make money, let alone profits, and compensation or benefits are the number one reason employees leave small business jobs. “People are running away quickly. So aside from money issues, some will not buy the idea. There is no specific rule for me in my books on how to build a great team. You just have to stick with the ones you feel are good, motivate them, and then keep an open mind. If they say they want to leave you, let them.”
Tolulope has gained a lot of knowledge so far. Due to financial challenges, the company has had to adjust various aspects of its operations, including completely revamping some of its products. However, he is excited by how people have responded to his service so far and by the enthusiasm that the bikes are produced locally. “I love when a lot of people come up to us and tell us that they need our product. That’s exciting for us.”
The company is looking to expand beyond Nigeria in the near future and with the backing of global giants like Siemens, doing so will be a bit easier.
Young entrepreneurs like Tolulope are the lifeblood of Nigeria’s economy. They boost the local economy and help build a community of people with the skills, resources and networks to meet the challenges presented by the climate crisis.
Desperation, according to Tolulope, prompted the start of this project. From a simple search for a faster route to his office, the Tolulope company is now managing transportation and logistics challenges for individuals and small businesses and helping reduce carbon emissions.
This story was first published by AllAfrica.com. We have your permission to republish.