Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

UNTAPPED aims to facilitate the e-mobility wave in Africa by providing: 
1. A new model to finance electric assets. UNTAPPED is pioneering a price per distance leasing model that will be subsidized by selling carbon credits to make acquiring e-motorbikes the most convenient and affordable option for local entrepreneurs. 
2. An IT system to help operators and entrepreneurs manage electric assets. 
3. A financing platform to pool in private financing for scaling up the deployment of electric assets and building up of charging systems infrastructure. 
Combined, these approaches make investing and operating electric assets the default in transport.

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Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

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Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

Majority of motorbike operators in Africa are the youth, typically young men who are looking for an income stream to meet family obligations (NCRC 2018). They typically rent out petrol motorbikes for daily use and pay a fixed commission back to the owners. Owning a petrol motorbike is beyond the financial reach of most of these operators, and an e-motorbike even more so. 

UNTAPPED is providing a chance for local operators to maintain their livelihood whilst being a part of the global movement to reduce emissions. The key aspects of this project that help drive this switch include: 
- The e-motorbikes are offered on a lease to own model with no upfront costs. This provides a clear path to ownership for entrepreneurs, something that is currently unavailable in the market. Providing this is made possible by the emissions saved by the operations of the e-motorbikes which allows UNTAPPED to sell carbon credits to further subsidize the costs of the bikes, grant funding which de-risks the project, and private investments. 
- The price per distance pricing model. It gives operators more flexibility with repayment; allowing them to repay less when revenues are low and more when they make more. 
- The financing platform which will allow the pulling in of private investment from investors all over the globe. The project will be among the initiatives that UNTAPPED will present online through the UNTAPPED Invest platform; the platform provides a direct channel for investors to invest directly in businesses they are interested in. This provides a convenient channel to secure financing for further scaleup and deployment. 
- The IT management system which will allow for easier tracking and management of deployed e-motorbikes. It is crucial to have an IT system to ensure the generation of data. The data will provide the evidence base needed to increase investor confidence in the model and sector. 

By making green energy options the most convenient and profitable options, UNTAPPED is making it easier for the youth to switch over to e-motorbikes and be active participants in the global movement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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