What is South Africa’s position in the electric vehicle race?

This webcast addresses:

How to unlock local EV potential
Current research and development
Lessons from abroad

Speakers

Darryl Chapman, e-Mobility Project Manager, Eskom
Brian Hastie, Chairperson of the EV subcommittee at the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa
Hiten Parmar, Director at uYilo eMobility Programme, South Africa
Nick Singh, Head of the Smart Grid CoE, Eskom
Global EV outlook
The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing at a rapid pace. As of 2018, the global EV fleet exceeded 5.1 million and over 2.8 million EVs are expected to be sold this year.

In its 2019 edition of the Global EV Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) notes that a variety of policy measures have been playing a critical role in the upsurge of this market.

According to the IEA report, leading countries in the EV market include China, the US and Norway. These countries are providing support in the form of fuel economy standards, incentives for zero- and low-emissions vehicles as well as support for EV charging infrastructure, which all help in bridging the cost gap between electric and conventional vehicles.

However, the South African EV market is still experiencing slow adoption mainly due to:

High import taxes and duties on EVs
Range that you can travel with an EV on one battery charge
Limited access to electricity for charging facilities
In tackling the latter, national power supplier Eskom announced that it is currently engaged in research on photovoltaic and battery storage options to power EVs in the near future.

Download the recording below, which provide insights on South Africa’s current EV status and what the future holds for this market.