Wildfires, storms, floods, air pollution - the facts around climate change have been made alarmingly clear in the build-up to COP26. We know the huge challenges our world is facing right now. The impacts of climate change are devastating and the picture is pretty bleak. There is enormous opportunity in this space though. To ask hard questions. To re-think the ways we look after one another, look after our planet, look after how we trade with one another. To wrestle with how mature and emerging markets interact and work together towards net zero goals and a more equitable future. We need disruption and we need innovation, and we need them now. Start-ups are a crucial part of driving this change.
It is clear that efforts towards climate change made by the developed world are irrelevant if emerging markets are left behind. For start-up OX Delivers, the opportunities for innovation around the transition to zero-emission vehicles are in emerging markets such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Here, new business models are urgently needed as mature market ways of doing business are just not working. Disruption and innovation are vital so that Africa can electrify as fast, if not faster, than its mature market counterparts. OX truly believes that Africa can be first, not last, to net zero. As a smart logistics company with a vision to drive prosperous trade in emerging markets, we have developed a unique business model that forgets about traditional ownership of transport and instead targets shared mobility as a service.
UK expertise in EV, innovation and funding puts it in an ideal position to respond to the opportunity presented in emerging markets, and also makes the UK pivotal in the progress of technology required to respond to the global climate emergency. OX Delivers is a firm part of this landscape having been enabled to develop the first all-terrain EV truck purpose-designed for emerging markets and their conditions. It has high-carrying capacity, low operating costs and can be shipped flat-pack. The truck operates within a digital ecosystem that allows customers to request an OX service such as transport or distribution of goods to and from a location. The truck and digital ecosystem are enhanced by OX drivers who are empowered to build their own local connections and customer-base and develop the OX business in-country.
And we have seen astounding results and demand so far. OX Delivers started its pilot operations in its first market of Rwanda in Q1 2021 to demonstrate its business model focusing on getting goods to market. From the word go, OX has seen 40% month-on-month growth in revenue and an overwhelming response from customers about the positive impact OX has had on their business and lives. Our start-up is having a real sustainable and social impact. By 2030, OX has committed to being net-zero. By 2031 we estimate to have saved over 40 million tonnes of CO2 and directly supported the creation of a million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa. We can see disruptive innovation is working.
Transitioning to zero-emission vehicles using an original, creative business model means that OX Delivers is opening up opportunities for countless people in a clean, affordable way. Lack of access to reliable transport stifles economic growth locally and nationally however innovative changes to transport infrastructure have the potential to open the floodgates: trading further afield, connection to new markets, higher income, job creation and access to education and healthcare.
There is much to do and there are stubborn behaviours to shift as we tackle climate change. It can feel overwhelming. But there is also enormous opportunity in this space. To ask hard questions. To re-think the ways we look after one another, look after our planet, look after how we trade with one another. To wrestle with how mature and emerging markets interact and work together towards net zero goals and a more equitable future. We need disruption and we need innovation, and we need them now. For OX Delivers, the opportunities from our disruptive and innovative business model are plentiful and we want to scale as fast as we can to meet them head on!
Watch 'What Comes After the Tipping Point? Opportunities from the ZEV Transition' panel discussion at COP26 Transport Day: