South Africa’s Automotive Industry is plausible to produce its First Electric Vehicle (EV) in 2026

By Abdul Rahman Bangura-

Picture: Government of South Africa

NEW AFRICA BUSINESS NEWS (NABN) Freetown, Sierra Leone- Ebrahim Patel -Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition let out on December 04th, 2023 as he summarized strategies for the nation’s green transport transition.

The electrification of transport is one of the crucial pillars underpinning South Africa’s just energy transition (JET) plan for a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy.

The JET plan assesses that an investment of R128.1bn would be needed from 2023— 27 for the transport sector to contribute meaningfully to South Africa’s decarbonization commitments.

South Africa is the largest automotive manufacturing intersection on the African mainland, hosting global brands such as Toyota, de-carbonization, and Mercedes, amongst others.

It is likewise positively integrated into the global supply chain, drawing components from across the world and exporting the final consumer product to more than 150 nations worldwide.

“We’re already producing hybrids but we anticipate that the first electric vehicles are likely to be produced already by 2026,” Patel told correspondents.

Established on dialogues Patel’s department was having with the automakers, the first batch of EVs will be limited. Growth should then rev between 2026 and 2030, with only one manufacturer anticipating rolling into battery electric vehicle production after 2030, he summed up without naming any brands.

In a 68-page EV plan, the South Africa delineated phases to help the evolution, such as government incentives, an interim deduction on import duties for batteries in vehicles produced and sold in the
domestic market, and the commercialization of green hydrogen production as a source of sustainable fuel.

It will furthermore reform network industries, comprising freight rail and ports, and implement commercialization administration’s power crisis poses one of the risks as Eskom stumbles to keep the
lights on.

The effective bans on CO2-emitting vehicles from 2035 in key markets like the EU and UK will be profound, as they engross virtually half of South African auto production, the plan read.

For New Africa Business News (NABN) Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports,  Africa Correspondent