Collaboration at the core of e-mobility transformation
- Thamires Pecis
- Sep 18
- 3 min read
The transition to electric mobility is not a journey that happens in isolation. It results from partnerships that connect people, institutions, and communities across the world. Global frameworks may set the vision, but real change is felt in the streets, in businesses, and in people’s daily lives.
And it would be a mistake to think that this bridge between the global and the local is only about transferring knowledge or financing. In fact, it lies in co-creating solutions, actively listening to communities, and building trust. But what does collaboration really look like when global ambitions meet local realities?
Building bridges beyond borders
As an international initiative, UEMI stands where global visions meet local realities. By bringing together partners from across the world with cities, startups, and universities, we help create spaces where ideas, experiences and knowledge flow both ways and shape solutions that are rooted in context and strengthened by collaboration.
In Rwanda, for example, the BOOST project brought together international experts, local governments and businesses, and students to explore how electric mobility can respond to the country’s specific challenges, while also creating opportunities for learning and jobs in the sector.
Local innovators, global partners
Real transformation happens when local innovators are strengthened and connected to global networks. Across our projects, we have met inspiring partners who show what collaboration looks like in practice:
In Morocco, EM Solutions is developing smart charging technologies tailored to local needs, supported by international technical exchanges.
In India, SheCycling is bringing together women cyclists to promote the use of electric bicycles in Kochi, creating support networks and strengthening women’s inclusion in urban mobility.
In Rwanda, I&K is promoting sustainable egg delivery, offering jobs for women and showing how last-mile logistics can be both inclusive and clean.
These initiatives thrive not only because of local creativity, but also because they are supported, recognized, and amplified through global partnerships. Collaboration allows them to grow and, at the same time, inspire new approaches elsewhere.
Lessons from collaboration
Years of joint work across continents have taught us important lessons:
Trust is essential. Collaboration goes beyond contracts, it requires listening and building relationships.
Inclusion makes a difference. Solutions must keep women, youth, and marginalized communities in mind, ensuring they are sustainable and equitable.
Local adaptation is key. There is no one-size-fits-all model. Each city needs approaches aligned with its own reality.
Anthea Sugira, researcher for the eBRT2030 project who conducted surveys in Kigali to analyze user demand and identify key service gaps, highlights:
“It was an opportunity to feel useful to society, because by listening to people I realized I was helping to connect their voices with those who can change the way they see the buses. It was my first time conducting such a survey, and I really enjoyed everything.”
From planning to the streets
Ultimately, collaboration means improving people’s lives in concrete ways. It is about connecting the dots between international climate strategies and daily mobility.
Women delivering goods with e-bikes in Kigali, students testing new business models for electric taxis, or technicians in Marrakesh learning to operate and maintain e-buses, these are the faces of collaboration between the global and the local.
Collaboration is what turns ideas into real impact. When global visions connect with local realities, mobility changes and lives.
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