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Is South Africa ready for electric cars?
I’m taking a sabbatical, and I want to make a big change during it: a move to South Africa. I drive an electric car, and before I move, I want to be sure that my electric car is a good choice for South Africa. Is South Africa ready for electric cars?
Bellina Gaskey · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Great question! Most experts agree that South Africa is not ready for electric cars, and will not be ready until South Africa undergoes energy generation reform. South Africa currently does not have the necessary access to electricity to support a large adoption of electric vehicles. The government must also adopt and create legislation to support electric vehicles, such as incentives.
Globally, vehicles burning fuel contribute 24% of harmful carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. With roughly 72 million vehicles in use in Africa, Africa is one of the fastest growing greenhouse contributors, with their transport emissions expected to double what was recorded in 2015 by 2030. This is compounded by the estimated 600,000 deaths attributed to air pollution in Africa, costing the continent a staggering $215 billion in 2013.
While South Africa has been using electric vehicles for years, with a few EVs already on their market such as the
BMW
i3 or i8 and the Nissan LEAF
, it is still considered a luxury. This is due to the high costs of electricity in most parts of Africa. It costs about 7% of Nigeria’s minimum wage, for instance, to charge a Tesla. These trends continue through to South Africa, making an electric car too expensive for most families, even though they save money in gas and maintenance costs.Until the infrastructure changes enough to allow more affordable electricity for more South Africans, electric vehicles will not be a feasible solution to the pollution problem.
The other hurdle that must be cleared is incentivization of electric vehicles. Electric cars need to have incentives to encourage consumers to change their habits, and until the South African government finds ways to do this effectively, electric vehicles may not be seen as a benefit to the people.
Whether you drive gas or electric, get yourself the most affordable insurance.
Jerry
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