This is how you market EVs in rural Africa

October 01, 2025

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One of the largest convoys of EVs in Africa will kick off a 1,600 km road trip from Kenya’s capital Nairobi to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Sunday. The six-day trip brings together electric two-wheelers, four-wheelers, and heavy-duty electric trucks in one convoy, documenting the realities of cross-border travel with EVs ahead of the Africa E-Mobility Week 2025 in Addis.   

  • The trip will test the practicality of using EVs for long distance trips on the continent, where charging stations are few and far between. It will also show off the technology to rural populations at stops in towns along the way. 

  • This still far short of being Africa’s longest EV trip. In February, four electric, solar-fitted Citroën Ami cars concluded a historic four-month journey from Morocco to South Africa, covering 16,000 km. 

  • Our take: Such trips will give EVs the awareness needed to penetrate into rural markets in Africa where information flow is slower… Read more (2 min)

Kempower, a Finnish manufacturer of DC fast chargers, has entered Africa. The company partnered with the UK’s Paterson Simons to bring DC fast charging technology to West and Central Africa. Kempower has installed a DC fast charger at Meridian Port Services (MPS) in Tema, Ghana to power port equipment, marking its first official sales on the continent.

  • Africa’s growing EV charging market is attracting new global companies. Tesla, BMW, ABB and EVBox are some of the global companies operating fast charging stations on the continent.  

  • The Africa EV charging market was valued at $31.93 million in 2022, and is predicted to reach $256.53 million by 2030. This growth is expected to attract new companies into the business, both local and foreign. 

  • Our take: Africa could make EV chargers on the continent at competitive prices… Read more (2 min)

First Automobile Works (FAW), a Chinese automaker, has launched a lineup of electric vehicles in the Nigerian market, including the FAW MiniEV and MPV EV. The MiniEV offers a driving range of 220 km, a maximum power output of 20 kW, and a top speed of 100 km/h. Also featured is the FAW MPV EV, delivering up to 120 kW of power and a range of 425 km.

  • FAW is prominent in Africa’s heavy trucks sector. It has a range of electric trucks, including the pure electric light-duty J6F truck and the pure electric J6L tractor for long-distance driving. 

  • The company is now incorporating smaller vehicles like SUVs and passenger cars. This shift is well aligned with the growing demand for ride-hailing and last-mile delivery solutions. 

  • Our take: The choice of Nigeria is a no brainer for FAW as it is one of the continent’s largest auto markets… Read more (2 min)

Vector Logistics electric truck takes a trip in South Africa

Events

📅 Join experts at the EV Revolution Africa in Ghana (Oct 9)

📅 Attend the Africa E-Mobility Week Summit (Oct 14)

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

Jobs

🛠️ Lead maintenance operations at GreenWheels (Ghana)

📄 Become a Product Planning Lead at ShiftEV (Egypt)

💼 Direct business development at Kofa (Kenya)

Various 

🤝 BluEV partners with Flend to promote EV financing in Egypt

💎 Are Volkswagen's EVs made with African conflict minerals?

🔌 CHARGE welcomes Naamsa to South Africa’s first off-grid EV charging station

Seen on LinkedIn 

Ignatius Maranga, EV Infrastructure expert, says, “So if you are raising capital, stop asking how many chargers we can ship and start asking who at Kenya Power will sign the single line diagram. “