By Anica Hattingh
In late September of 2024, researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at Stellenbosch University (SU) set out on a daring mission – to travel 6 000 kilometres across Africa. The challenge, however, did not lie in the distance or terrain the researchers had to cross, but rather in the fact that their mode of transportation – an African-designed electric motorcycle – would be powered by solar energy alone.
The SU researchers first joined forces with Roam, a technology-driven electric mobility company in Nairobi, Kenya to test the Roam Air electric motorcycle. Their three-week journey would start in Kenya, travel through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, and ultimately end in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Intending to showcase the achievements of African engineering, the expedition team felt the need to create a documentary-style series which they could share with the world. Recharging Hope, the seven-part docuseries, provides a glimpse into the tenacity, creativity and problem-solving needed to make a bold idea into a reality.
On 26 January 2026, the group of researchers announced that, after they had worked tirelessly for a year on the docuseries, major streaming platforms such as Netflix, rejected their series. The official announcement on their YouTube platform stated, “For the past year, we have been working hard on trying to bring our story to the world, but this has been a bit of a challenge. After riding a Roam Air electric motorcycle from Kenya to South Africa, powered only by the sun, we realised we had more than just data points. We had a story that proved African engineering is world-class.”
Instead of quitting after facing initial rejection, the team pivoted and released the series on YouTube. Lewis Seymour, the videographer and expedition member who produced the series, announced to guests at the premiere on 19 February that this pivot offered a greater opportunity. “The success of this documentary will not be measured in terms of viewership, but by the significance it has and the people that it has touched,” Seymour stated.
What started as an incredible feat across Africa is now continuing as an inspiration to future engineers across the globe. Viewers of the docuseries can look forward to not only technical challenges, but also moving stories of the connections formed between the Roam team and the communities they encountered.
