Electric Vehicle Road Trip (evrt) Africa 2024 leads the EV charge
Africa’s most epic electric vehicle road trip (evrt) returns in 2024. Travelling across South Africa showcasing the rapidly advancing variety and capabilities of electric vehicles.
The evrt Africa will run from 15 February – 24 February 2024, the event will also incorporate the electric Go Green Africa torch symbolising the need and opportunity for African organisations to Go Green over the next 10 years. The symbol? An electric torch which will be lit at the start of evrt Africa which will be in town and then carried across different provinces in the country.
Group Director of Mobility at Vuka Group Ben Pullen, who brought evrt Africa to South Africa in 2019, said that the 2024 event aims to be the most exciting road trip in the world. “Asides from being an incredible real-world showcase of the latest EV technology, which will show South Africans that many of the issues around power supply and charging are really only perceived limitations, the road trip will assist in driving EV adoption and highlighting the possibilities of green energy, as symbolised by the Go Green Africa Torch while also enjoying the country’s scenery, food, adventure activities, and culture.”
AutoTrader and AIDC EC make it official
The launch announcement took place in Cape Town last week where it was announced that the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) from Eastern Cape and AutoTrader will be coming along for the ride, both putting an official stamp on the partnership for next year’s event. To mark the partnership with AIDC Eastern Cape, which is mandated to drive the province’s automotive industry, evrt Africa 2024 will now include a jam packed stop in Gqeberha.
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CEO, AIDC Eastern Cape, Thabo Shenxane said: “Our partnership involves bringing evrt Africa and its whole fleet of electric cars to the Eastern Cape, as part of promoting EV and the green economy, whilst showcasing the stunning province that we are fortunate to live in.”
Green light for a green economy
“The province is the largest manufacturer of cars in the country and we export cars to Europe, so the transition to electric is very important. We are also doing lots of work convincing the provincial government to start investing in EV infrastructure, and the skills around the EV industry,” said Shenxane.
For the AIDC-EC the focus on EV is critical for the long-term prospects of the automotive industry.
“Two of our biggest manufacturers export cars to Europe, and Europe has already declared that by 2035 they aren’t consuming any internal combustion engines – which means we need to change,” said Shenxane. “And so, if we don’t create an environment that’s conducive to manufacture and export EVs then the industry will leave the country, which would be catastrophic for a province like the Eastern Cape. We have seen the departure of one major car manufacturer in the Eastern Cape, which left thousands jobless, we would not like to see that again.”
Besides the sustainability green economy aspect, increasing demand for EVs has the potential to create local employment opportunities. This is of particular interest to the Western Cape Government, which brought one of the city’s BMW i3 vehicles to the evrt Africa 2024 launch announcement event.
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“The Western Cape is the first province to launch an EV strategy. We take it seriously,” said new provincial Minister of Mobility? Ricardo Mackenzie on Friday.? “We are proud to be partners in this and are keen to drive mobility and the green economy, because this is where the jobs lie.”
And the data is unequivocal: South African consumers are increasingly interested in EVs. Although battery electric cars remain the ultimate prize, AutoTrader CEO George Mienie says that the company’s latest Hybrid Car Buyers Survey revealed that hybrids were in particular demand because of their current price point.
“Advert views for hybrids have increased by 44% year-over-year (YOY) and enquiries 64% YOY, and 45% of respondents said they’d consider buying a hybrid in the next few years. In order to achieve mass adoption of hybrid electric vehicles, surveys have shown we have to get the cost below R500 000. This is why we say that there is a middle step for the mass market, and that is in the hybrid. Consumers want battery electric but it’s too expensive today. What is fundamental though is education around what hybrids can offer.”
Eskom supports new energy market
Eskom Distribution were in support of the event, and their Group Executive, Monde Bala shared their vision to electrify around 20% of Eskom’s vehicles by 2025, which could drive the demand for electric vehicles in the country, given that Eskom Distribution has over 10,000 vehicles in their fleet.
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Some of the attendees at the evrt Africa 2024 launch announcement event got a taste of the EV experience on a scenic drive around Cape Town. Vehicles included the Mini Cooper Electric and BMW iX3 from Drive Electric, a new electric vehicle leasing company which launched in Cape Town. The new Volvo XC40 Recharge, the Tesla Model X from Rubicon, the Mercedes EQA, EQB, EQC and EQS, and the BMW i3 which came from the Western Cape Government.
The launch announcement event was one of a number of events happening in Cape Town in conjunction with the city’s inaugural ABB FIA Formula E Cape Town E-Prix is the E-Fest which brings a series of events in Cape Town including Africa’s Green Economy Summit and E-Fest ELECTRIC.
