When it comes to bringing EVs to South Africa, BMW has been the leader. From the time it introduced the i3 about 7 years ago, BMW has consistently introduced battery-electric vehicles as well as some plug-in hybrids whenever they became available on the global market. This is a really big … [continued]
Having taken part in several round table sessions on electric mobility involving a wide cross section of stakeholders in quite a number of African countries, I have noticed that some of the key concerns that keep coming up in these forums are on the lack of trained technicians and first … [continued]
ThinkElectric Africa is a non-profit organization with a mission to accelerate Africa’s transition to renewable energy and sustainable transport. The vision of the founder birthed a for profit organization called ThinkBikes Limited. ThinkBikes has started delivering its locally produced electric tricycles to customers in Nigeria. Its electric cargo tricycle, called … [continued]
There has been a lot of progress in the electric vehicle space over the past 12 years since the early mass production models, such as the first generation Nissan Leaf, were released. There were very few plug-in vehicle models available back then. In the United Kingdom for example, the Society … [continued]
Ford South Africa’s assembly plant is now generating 35% of its electricity needs onsite from a newly commissioned 13.5 MW solar carport system. Through a long term Power Purchase Agreement with SolarAfrica, Ford will offset a significant amount of CO2 from the electricity it consumes from South Africa’s predominantly coal-powered … [continued]
Could Zimbabwe’s Public Transport Chaos Catalyze The Adoption Of Electric Scooters For Personal Mobility?
Every month I look forward to reading Jose Pontes’ China sales updates and keenly follow the evolution of the Chinese EV market as it is probably the best bet for supplying affordable mass market EVs for the global market in the near future. I also look forward to Dr. Maximilian … [continued]
Motorcycle sales in Kenya were up 15.6% in 2021. This follows an impressive 17.4% growth in the lockdown-affected 2020, according to the latest Economic Survey from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). Motorcycle registrations jumped from 246,705 units in 2020 to 285,203 units in 2021. The number of motorcycles … [continued]
Remittances are the largest source of capital inflows into low and middle-income countries. However, unrecorded flows through informal channels are thought to be at least 50% larger than these inflows that come via official channels. In Zimbabwe for example, official Reserve Bank figures show that remittances surged from $1 billion … [continued]
Small 14- to 35-seater minibus taxis, known as matatus, play a major role in providing transport services for urban commutes in Kenya. Estimates put Kenya’s minibus and bus fleet at just over 100,000 vehicles. Matatu is Swahili for the number three. It is believed the name stuck from the 1970s … [continued]
