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- Where Africa stands as the world marks the sixth EV Day
Where Africa stands as the world marks the sixth EV Day
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 | Electric mobility stakeholders across Africa yesterday celebrated the World EV Day marked on September 9th annually to promote EVs, provide education, and drive policy change. As the world moves forward in adopting EVs, Africa is beginning to embrace this shift, with major developments in infrastructure and policy, signalling a promising future for the continent. |
While Africa’s EV sales volumes remain tiny, the pace of growth is skyrocketing. Hundreds of thousands of electric motorcycles have been sold to date, while electric car sales more than doubled in 2024. Similarly, new companies are venturing into smaller segments like electric bicycles, tri-cycles and quadricycles.
High prices remain the single biggest stumbling block for EVs, partly due to steep taxes. The continent also lags behind in charging infrastructure, while electricity access remains a challenge. At the same time, many countries are yet to put in place pro-EV policies, stifling adoption.
Our take: African EV stakeholders should be more proactive in pushing for supportive policies… Read more (2 min)
 | Nigeria has the most expensive EV loans, according to an analysis done by Mobility Rising on interest rates charged on loans in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. We analysed rates charged by commercial banks as well as asset lenders on loans taken to buy EVs. We found a huge gap in the cost of loans, with South Africa having the cheapest loans out of the three countries. |
We usually conduct the survey every first week of the month, and our latest findings show that the majority of loans are short-term, with tenures ranging between 12 and 60 months.
Over the last three months, EV loans in all the three countries have been largely stable. This stability offers buyers predictability in their monthly instalments.
Our take: Access to financing will remain a major factor for EV sales, which calls on EV companies to come up with more innovative financing options… Read more (2 min)
 | South Africa’s EV market is expanding even without consumer incentives, notes Linda Melissa Cele, Head of Fleet Management and Leasing at WesBank. Adoption is set to accelerate further when the 150% tax incentive takes effect in March 2026, boosting local manufacturing and assembly. At present, however, EVs face higher taxes than ICE vehicles. |
“EV charging infrastructure in South Africa is set to grow by an estimated 26.3% in 2025. This progress, supported by improving energy stability, will help dispel the widespread myth of range anxiety among local buyers.” says Ms Cele.
She has over 15 years of experience in the banking sector, with a strong focus on fleet management.
BYD South Africa’s aftersales manager Tendani Nevhudogwa leans against a BYD Shark within the company premises
Events
🗓️ Book your ticket to Smarter Mobility Africa in South Africa (Oct 1)
🗓️ Attend the Africa E-Mobility Week Summit (Oct 14)
🗓️ Register for Kenya’s National Public Transport Summit (Nov 26)
Jobs
👩🏻💻 Join Spiro as a Key Accountant Manager (Kenya)
💼 Become a Field Sales Lead at Zembo (Uganda)
💵 Apply for Business and Finance Controller’s role at Mogo (Kenya)
Various
🔌 SolarCity Gas to unveil electric vehicle chargers
⚡️ Tesla’s biggest rival cooking up a storm in South Africa
🚘 First Tesla cybertruck spotted in Uganda
Seen on LinkedIn
Elijah Oduor, Executive Officer at EMAK, says, “Not long ago, the idea of Kenya leading in e-mobility felt like a distant ambition. Today, we are living through that transformation but the road ahead requires more than innovation alone. It requires capital, collaboration, and courage.”