Extended-range EVs are dawning on Africa

September 25, 2025

Dear subscriber, this is a prototype. Please help us with feedback and tips. Press reply.

Leapmotor, a Chinese company backed by Stellantis, has introduced its C10 extended-range electric vehicle this month, highlighting confidence in South Africa’s potential as an electric vehicle hub. Additional models are expected to be launched in 2026. South Africa is Leapmotor’s third market in Africa. The company is also in Morocco and Mauritius. 

  • The C10 joins the BMW i3 Rex, Rox 01 and Huawei Avatr 11 Ultra Extended-Range as some of the major extended-range EVs being sold in Africa. The BMW 13 is one of the most sold EVs in South Africa.

  • Extended-range EVs have a small petrol or diesel engine on board, called a range extender. It acts like a generator, producing electricity to recharge the battery or power the motor when the battery is low, giving extra driving range. 

  • Our take: Unless prices reduce, EV sales will remain limited in Africa, even for those that have range extending capabilities…Read more (2 min)

American EV giant Tesla has topped our latest ranking of the top electric mobility firms in Africa. It amassed 18,212 points, more than triple any other company. An analysis of LinkedIn data by Mobility Rising shows that the company has 1,562 senior staff based in 33 countries in Africa, of which 132 work in sales. This is an increase of 988 senior staff over the last 12 months. 

  • This ranking of top companies in the sector is based on the conviction that people are the single best indicator for how well a company is doing. Hence, we rank companies by people metrics.  

  • They are: Size (number of staff, number of sales staff, number of country locations with 3+ staff), growth (increase in staff, increase in number of sales staff) and maturity (experience, tenure, number of top degrees). Data is drawn from public sources and has previously been published by us. 

  • Click here to see our full ranking… (2 min)

Mobility Rising has spotted 23 new roles across Africa, the second time this month hires have surpassed 20. For the first time, recruitment spans all four regions: East Africa leads with 15 roles, West Africa follows with three, North Africa with one, and Southern Africa with four. Hiring cuts across 13 companies in charging, financing, manufacturing and fleet management.

  • The roles show strong demand for operations, logistics and business development expertise across East Africa’s e-mobility ecosystem, with M-Kopa, MojaEV and Zeno leading in management and strategic positions.

  • Rubicon, Greenwheels and Zeno are on a hiring spree, with Greenwheels signalling a fresh market entry in Ghana. In contrast, Ampersand, BasiGo and Zembo appear to have slowed recruitment.

  • Click here to see the full list… (2 min)

LEAP cohort meets in Berlin to accelerate electrification of transport in sub-Sahara

Events

🗓️ Book your ticket to Smarter Mobility Africa in South Africa (Oct 1)

🗓️ Attend Africa Startup Festival in Kenya (Oct 30)

🗓️ Register for Kenya’s National Public Transport Summit (Nov 26)

Various 

🤝 Qoray Mobility partners with Autogig for after sales services

🔌 Czech Republic to help Ethiopia in advancing EV charging

⚡ Blu EV partners with Tanta to expand e-mobility access in Egypt

Seen on LinkedIn 

Michael Muchiri, Engineer at MMA Consultants, says, “Incentives from (the) government and rebates from carbon credits are added advantages that lead to a lower total cost of ownership (of EVs) compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE).”