Source: press release CAKE | Participating hospitals will use solar-powered CAKE Ösa motorbikes equipped with cold-storage boxes to efficiently transport medicine to remote areas.
CAKE announced that the first phase of a Ghana based collaboration with the renewable energy company STELLA Futura is in progress. Three solar-powered CAKE Ösa Flex motorbikes, equipped with cooling boxes from Dometic that draw their energy directly from the bike’s battery, have been rolled out in the capital Accra and will be used for transportation of medical staff, medicine and vaccines between urban hospitals and rural health care centers.
“There are many great advantages to using our electric bikes when compared to fossil fuelled options. Being solar-powered and fully electric, access to fuel is virtually free and plentiful. Our sturdy design makes them stand up to the toughest of conditions, with potential repairs easily performed thanks to the modular design. Finally, the internal battery of the Ösa powers mobile cooling boxes, ensuring that its contents reach any destination safely and with the correct temperature. We are looking forward to making a difference together with STELLA Futura”, said Stefan Ytterborn, Founder and CEO of CAKE.
Ulrika Tornerefelt, Group CEO at STELLA Futura added:
“The electrification of the hospitals creates natural charging points for the motorcycles, whose batteries not only cool vaccines and medicines but also enable the performance of simpler operations in the countryside during home visits. Of course, we at STELLA are proud to lead this project.”
A challenge jointly accepted
Servicing patients in remote areas continues to be a major challenge for the African medical community. Roads and other infrastructure is often non-existent, with unreliable electricity access preventing effective storage of medicine and equipment sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Working with STELLA Futura, who provides sustainable energy alternatives to hospitals in Ghana, CAKE has initially delivered three electric motorcycles to three hospitals. The goal is to jointly assist in expanding healthcare access to rural populations, with the aim of scaling the project as more performance data and learnings become available.
Bikes with a purpose, built for the outback
The CAKE Ösa is a family of sturdy, high-powered scooters and motorcycles, built to stand tall in any environment and allowing for grid-independence, as the powerful internal battery can power anything from mobile phones to power tools. Also available in the CAKE lineup is the award winning, electric off-road motorcycle Kalk, currently successfully used by anti-poacher park rangers in various areas across the African continent.
