Tesla finally set to debut its EVs in Africa

June 15, 2025

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Tesla, the world’s largest EV manufacturer, will officially sell its vehicles in Africa for the first time, after incorporating a local subsidiary in Morocco. Tesla Morocco was established on May 27, 2025. According to the legal filing, Tesla Morocco’s objectives include the import, distribution, sale, maintenance, and repair of EVs and energy storage systems.    

  • Tesla has been laying the ground for its Morocco entry for years. It built EV fast chargers there in 2021, ostensibly to gauge EV demand. It has also been selling energy storage systems in South Africa. 

  • Tesla’s full market entry is set to shake up Africa’s nascent EV sector, which its main rival, China’s BYD, has been racing to dominate. BYD is already in 16 African countries.  

  • Our take: With its brand recognition, Tesla’s entry will disrupt the African market, offering more choice to buyers… Read more (2 min)

Q&A: An interview with Ampersand CEO Josh Whale 

A lack of equity capital is the biggest challenge facing Africa’s electric mobility startups, according to Josh Whale, the founder and CEO of Ampersand, an electric motorcycle and charging company operating in Rwanda and Kenya. In an interview with Mobility Rising, Mr Whale argues that capital constraints are limiting the ability of EV startups to meet rising demand. 

  • Mr Whale believes that the EV market in East Africa is big, and that existing players are yet to start cannibalising each other for market share. Additional capital injection, he says, is what’s required to unlock a new level of growth for the emerging sector.  

  • The Ampersand CEO foresees a consolidation of the market on the horizon. “That's a normal process. I think there's a broad consensus that there might be three, four, five companies doing the (electric) two-wheeler business.” 

  • Read our full interview… here (2 min)

Mobility Rising has identified 12 high-impact events across Africa and one in the UK that are critical for stakeholders in the electric mobility sector over the next three months. Of these, five are directly focused on mobility, while the remaining seven are complementary, covering key themes such as energy, policy, and finance. No major events are currently listed for August. 

  • South Africa leads in hosting mobility-focused events, with four major summits in Johannesburg and Pretoria highlighting infrastructure, industrialisation, and electric vehicle production. Kenya stands out for its role in clean energy leadership, while Nigeria is strong in tech and energy.

  • Events play a vital role in helping mobility leaders scale solutions. Forums such as the Africa Energy Forum, NOG Energy Week and The Africa Debate offer essential insights into policy direction and infrastructure development.

  • Click here to see the full list of events… Read more (2 min)

CBZ Holdings receives a BYD Atto 3 from Tsapo Group for a pilot program in Zimbabwe

Jobs

🚀 Become an Import Operations Specialist at Dodai (Ethiopia)

💲 Apply for the Tax Accountant role at MAX (Nigeria)

👩🏻‍💻 Join Ampersand as a Machine Learning Engineer (Rwanda)

Various 

🚗 Tunisia to purchase EVs for 70 public institutions

🥇 Zeekr 001 electric car was the most licensed Chinese car in Egypt in May

🤝🏻 Watu Credit partners with Glovo Kenya

Seen on LinkedIn 

Matt Lloyd, Managing Director of Associated Vehicle Assemblers, says, “Some OEMs are bypassing the spirit of the policy - importing near-complete vehicles disguised as SKD kits, doing minimal assembly work, and failing to move up the value chain.”