In many parts of Africa, motorcycle taxis called boda-bodas are the main way people travel. Now, Chinese companies are investinginvesting/ɪnˈvɛstɪŋ/L2投资putting money into something with the hope of making a profit heavily to change these bikes from petrol to electricelectric/ɪˈlektrɪk/L1电动的using electricity to work power. For example, Shanghai-based NewTrails Capital recently invested 55 million dollars in Spiro as part of a larger 270 million dollar funding round. Spiro is the largest electric two-wheeler company in Africa, and the Chinese smartphone company Transsion backs NewTrails Capital.
Spiro has already put over 100,000 electric bikes and 2,500 battery-swap stations in seven African countries. Riders can quickly swap empty batteries for full ones at these stations. The company wants to make 90 percent of its bike parts in Africa by next year. This will help Africa move from exporting raw materials to making finished technologytechnology/tɛkˈnɒlədʒi/L2技术；科技the use of scientific knowledge and machines to solve problems or make life easier. "Tyres will be manufactured and the battery will be assembled locally," said Spiro founder Gagan Gupta.
Experts expect the African two-wheeler marketmarket/ˈmɑːrkɪt/L2市场；集市a place or system where people buy and sell goods or services to grow from about 20 million to 60 million bikes by 2030. As a result, Chinese investors see Africa as an important new market for electric transport. They are bringing their experience in supply chains and technology to help the industry grow. The investors believe the continent has huge untapped potentialpotential/pəˈtɛnʃəl/L2潜力；可能性the possibility to develop or become something in the future.
