Why Electric Cars Aren’t Everywhere in SA (yet)

2 min read

Electric vehicles, or EVs, are vehicles that are partly or completely powered by electricity. EVs are becoming more and more widespread, especially in developed countries where the government provides incentives for citizens to operate them. This can make EVs environmentally friendly and provide a more cost-effective way for people to get around. Unfortunately, in South Africa, this is not the case.

Reasons why EVs are a rare sight in South Africa

1.     No incentives – people in South Africa are not incentivised by the government to buy or drive electric vehicles. In other countries such as the US, the public receive federal tax deductions of up to $7 500 (R129 825) for purchasing a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV). In China, customers registering licence plates for electric vehicles receive a higher likelihood of being accepted, receive up to ¥60 000 (R150 000) in incentives, and receive preferential entry over internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles into the city centres of large metros. In Amsterdam, free EV charging is offered in public parking spaces.

2.     Electricity problems – as we all know, South Africa lacks a reliable supply of electricity, making it very difficult for those owning EVs to keep them operating consistently.

3.     Driving range - according to New Motion, a member of the Shell Group, the average range of a full electric vehicle in 2016 was 291 km. However, according to a study done by the United States Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy in 2020, the median range of all EVs on sale in the US was 402 km. That not only shows that EVs are range ready for SA, but also that range numbers are rapidly improving.

4. High EV prices – lithium-ion batteries, the same sort of batteries used in laptops and cell phones, are used to power EVs and are largely expensive. 

A study done by Nickel Institute found that the total cost of ownership of a small or mid-sized EV was lower than the equivalent ICE car in almost all regions in the world. They also found that in the luxury vehicle sector, EVs could cost up to double the amount of ICE cars. Another factor is that the South African government currently imposes a 25% import tax on all EVs and 18% on ICE cars. Audi recently released their e tron vehicles in South Africa. The average price of the 5 vehicles is R2,918 million, and the average driving range 394,6 – 446,2 km.

5.     Few charging stations – South Africa has a lack of adequate charging infrastructure. Charging stations are abundant along national highways for inter-city travelling but are almost non-existent within the cities themselves. As a comparison, the US has 0.9 EV charging stations per 100km of paved road whereas South Africa has 0.1.

6.     Limited choices – South Africa does not have many EV models to choose from. Before the Audi e tron range became available, South Africa only had 6 EVs that could be bought new.

Despite the dire situation of EVs in South Africa this article might seem to be painting, with a few policy changes and radical investment, South Africa could quite easily have EVs everywhere. Some steps towards electrification are already being taken.

How long do you think it will be until EVs will be a frequent spotting in South Africa? Share your thoughts by replying to this email!

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