African automotive associations and governments should collaborate to develop a roadmap for leapfrogging to electric vehicles (EV).
This is according to Earth Security Group’s new report released today (Tuesday).
The report highlights that ‘closer cooperation of the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) and the Electric Vehicle Industry Association (EVIA) is needed to develop a road map and identify scalable pilot solutions to leapfrog electric vehicles in Africa, possibly starting with South Africa and then creating other city-level platforms.’
The AAAM is an association launched in 2015 by BMW, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen. But the report observed that it had not yet prioritised the promotion of electric vehicles in the region.
EVIA is an electric automotive association launched by BMW, Nissan and the South African National Energy Development Institute to support the development of public EV infrastructure in South Africa.
The report noted that such collaboration would accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility on the continent, adding that actively committing to this future is an opportunity for global car manufacturers to participate and shape the continent’s market growth to follow global trends towards electric mobility.
The Earth Security Report 2017 emphasised the need to move to electric systems in transportation by highlighting that currently African cities were beset by air pollution while road traffic accidents killed more people today than malaria.
It also pointed out that the roadmap would need to include a comprehensive picture of the policies, infrastructure, skills and financing needs and opportunities. Additionally, it would need to provide a platform for stakeholders in industry, finance and government to collaborate.
According to the report, optimistic projections suggest that EV and hybrids could account for as much as 20% of the new car market in South Africa by 2030. However, this is being held back due to lack of investment.
Click here to read the full report.
NOTE: The original article contained error. It was corrected and has been updated on 22 September 2017.
