Pay-per-load trucking company OX Delivers will start building the third generation OX4 electric truck in March, with knock-down kit delivery for assembly in local markets to follow.

“Based on learnings in the field and customer feedback, the OX4 is our most advanced truck to date and features a range of major upgrades,” says OX Delivers CEO and founder Simon Davis.

OX Delivers is based in the UK, but operates its pilot transport service in Rwanda from four community hubs.

For less than $1, an OX Delivers customer can transport a sack of goods to market across poor roads.

Completing the task in a matter of hours instead of days by foot or bicycle, the OX Delivers transport-as-a-service model enables farmers and traders to access larger markets further from home, where prices are higher and new opportunities are available.

With OX Delivers’ business model, customers pay only for the space they need on a kilogram-per-kilometre basis.

The service is accessible via an app or toll-free number.

Since its launch, OX Delivers says it has seen strong demand and is now supporting more than 4 000 customers, including smallholder farmers and traders, with 80% of orders coming from repeat customers.

According to the company its electric trucks are purpose built for the challenges of Africa’s poor road infrastructure, and ten times cheaper to operate than existing alternatives.

The original OX Truck, designed by Professor Gordon Murray in 2016, was the world’s first flat-pack truck and was designed specifically for Africa.

The OX team has, however, continuously advanced the truck, evolving it into the first purpose-designed electric truck for the Global South.

The OX4 will feature design updates such as improved driving position, a two-tonne payload, greater operator visibility, as well as chassis improvements.

The company has also developed a proprietary vehicle control unit, enabling the creation of advanced software for more efficient control of the electric powertrain.

In order to assist with its rollout in Africa, OX Delivers has received a £1.2-million (R29-million) funding grant from Energy Catalyst.

The grant is set to demonstrate the benefits of low-carbon energy charge-point infrastructure at two of its depots in Rwanda.

In addition to the Energy Catalyst funding, OX Delivers has secured grants from the UK government and USAID through various programmes, such as the Advanced Propulsion Centre and Innovate UK.

OX Delivers has also garnered support from angel investors who have collectively invested around $10-million in equity.

With the introduction of the OX4 truck later this year, OX Delivers says it will continue scaling its impact across East Africa and beyond, “targeting three-billion people in developing countries without access to affordable, sustainable transport”.