Electric Cars Made in Africa

Electric cars in Africa Did you know that a typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year? How about 100 of these cars in your estate? A couple of millions in your country? Do the math and it's a lot of greenhouse waste, right? All this ends up in the atmosphere, which leads to even greater problems globally. Seeing the looming threat, car makers around the world have opted to create green energy powered cars to limit the amount of waste being released into the environment. Probably the famous car maker Tesla, owned by the world's richest man Elon Musk, rings in your head after hearing the statement. His technology and products are very popular in other developed locations, for instance, the USA and Europe. Africa on the other hand has not been left behind and has followed the steps of the rest of the world to create its modern cars powered by electricity. Hello and welcome to today's video where we will be looking at the electric car market in Africa. Does Africa have its electric car makers? How is the African market? And generally, is Africa ready to adopt and nature this new piece of technology? All these questions will be answered in this video, so don't move a muscle, sit back and enjoy as we take a look at the African Tesla cars. Without further ado, let's start. After paying lip service to several environmental regulations aimed at reducing carbon and other harmful emissions by developed and industrialized countries, only a few governments and firms are making progress in the field of electric vehicles. For the time being, issues like automotive battery storage, quick charging and solar energy are being addressed. But the complete adoption of this technology will need the political and economical collaboration of major countries. In Africa, where governments are still failing to provide enough electricity despite vast natural and economic resources, among other issues caused by poor leadership, such technology might have an impact if it is implemented. Electric vehicles have the potential to make a significant influence on African cities and economies. While well-known manufacturers such as Mercedes, Toyota and others are providing electric vehicles, it's worth noting that many African-made EVs are created by university students in Africa. Because change is inevitable, some African business people have refused to be left out of the lucrative car sector and their dreams have come true. Here's some exciting news. African-made automobiles are now available for purchase in the local vehicle marketplaces. Vast majority of Africans have never heard of these programs, at least not until now that they have been completed and they are proudly being shared in this video. Some of the examples of these EVs are… 1. The Kantaka, made in Ghana Currently, several Africans are the proud owners of this proudly produced in Ghana automobile. These EVs come in a range of colours and styles. There's the Kantaka SUV, Kantaka Truck, Sedan and so on. The Kantaka Automobile Company's production site is situated in Gomoampota in Ghana's central area if you'd wish to visit the facility and see for yourself. The Ghanaian Apostol Kwando Safo, the owner of the Kantaka Group of Companies and the Apostol Safo School of Arts and Sciences, is the brains behind this idea. He conceived, planned and built this automobile in Ghana. You don't need to be informed of its standard by just looking at it. It is without a doubt the most promising of all the African-made automobiles discussed in this video. The Kantaka cars, ostensibly developed for Ghanaian conditions, are almost identical to those that have been on the market in China for years. Kantaka's CEO has acknowledged working with a hidden Chinese partner and one Chinese firm has already taken control of Kantaka's whole industrial operation. 2. The JOL In 2012, the automobile made in South Africa was the country's first domestically designed electrical vehicle to ever hit the road. The JOL was developed by Cape Town-based Optimal Energy in collaboration with famed South African-born automobile designer Keith Helft after years of study and hard work. The JOL is a six-seater, zero-emissions, multi-purpose vehicle that debuted at the Paris Motor Show. It utilises just 20% of the energy that a regular automobile does. It takes around seven hours to recharge the car's battery pack for a 200-kilometre driving range using a standard 220-volt household outlet and the JOL's internal charger, with the two battery packs offering a total range of 400 kilometres. Enough range to get you on a trip and back. 3. The Kira EV The Kira EV was created and debuted by Makerere Institution students in Uganda in 2011, with help from the Ugandan government's innovation projects at the university. After attending the Vehicles Design Summit VDS 2.0, hosted by MIT in 2007, the students created the Kira Motors Corporation. They successfully assisted in the design and construction of the Vision 200, an ecologically friendly five-seater plug-in hybrid electric car that was launched in 2008. 4. The Lion Ozumba 551, Nigeria The automobile dubbed Lion Ozumba 551 is made up of 80% locally derived materials and has a 30 kilometre range when completely charged. According to Vanguard Nigeria, the automobile costs 800,000 naira, about 2,200 US dollars. It was introduced as the first ever five-seater electrical automobile developed in Nigeria by the University of Nigeria's Tsukas Faculty of Engineering. These four examples of African-made electrical vehicles demonstrate the continent's true potential for this new technology. But now that these automobiles have been built, one concern arises. Is the area for which they were built for ready to welcome this tech? Let's take a deeper look at the situation. EV adoption is fast gaining traction throughout the world, according to studies. Since 2015, adoption is thought to have surged by more than six-fold. By 2020, there were approximately 11 million registered electrical vehicles on the road worldwide, including cars, buses, vans, and lorries. By the end of the decade, this figure is expected to climb to 145 million or even more. The African continent is continuously developing and confronting several obstacles in this market. Across much of Africa, electric cars are still uncommon. The chances of discovering one are roughly one in a million. In South Africa, which is thought to be the largest EV market on the continent, only 1,000 out of more than 12 million vehicles on its roads are EVs. In most African nations, even fewer electric automobiles are in use. This is because used automobiles are the most popular and affordable. According to reports, Africa receives over 40% of worldwide used car exports. In Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia, the percentage is believed to be between 80 and 90% of total imported automobiles. To address the issue of whether the African continent as a whole is ready for these automobiles, we need to look at another factor. That is the existing and implemented government laws. This, however, is unlikely to change very soon. Unlike in Europe, where government rules compel automakers to adopt more environmentally friendly solutions such as electric vehicles, African governments are more permissive. Only one African nation, Cape Verde, has made efforts to phase out the sale of internal combustion engine cars, with an expiration date of 2035 set for such imports. In contrast, comparable laws have been enacted in around 17 nations throughout Asia, Europe, and America. Furthermore, several governments have committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions as part of the SDGs. That simply means that a lot of nations have not put this issue into consideration. Secondly, EV adoption in Africa is delayed due to infrastructure issues, such as inadequate energy grids, bad roads, and a shortage of public e-charges. While European networks have been able to deal with electric mobility, many African nations' energy infrastructures are already strained. Frequent blackouts, which cut off access to transportation in several nations, may reduce customer desire for electric automobiles. In Nigeria, for example, the typical availability of energy is roughly 12 hours, yet the nation has no public EV charging facilities. In South Africa, things are looking up. In 2020, the nation was ranked 6th in the world in terms of public electric vehicle charges to electric automobiles. Inadequate charging infrastructure, as well as a scarcity of suitable electric cars in certain industries, such as the heavy industry, continue to limit adoption. The cost of electric vehicles has decreased dramatically over the years, thanks to advancements in battery technology and large investments in EV businesses, making them more accessible. Despite lowering battery costs and the promise of long-term savings from decreased gasoline and maintenance expenses, the initial fees remain out of reach for the typical African. The average cost of a new electric car, according to Cox Automotive, is about $55,600. This is far much more than the average monthly wage of money earned by an African. Despite the many obstacles to EV adoption in Africa, a small number of startups and corporations in several nations are developing electric cars to encourage adoption on the continent. With the construction of electric vehicle fleets, of light carriers and motorcycles, vehicles perfectly adapted for the continent's tough roads, these firms are firmly bringing the electric car revolution to the streets of Africa. Through dynamic charging and vehicle-to-grid applications, these EVs might become an asset rather than a danger to grid stability with smart technology and suitable regulation. Finally, although progress is being made, electric vehicles only account for 1% of the worldwide fleet, and there are still considerable obstacles to widespread use of electric vehicles. According to their analysis, with even more climate programs and emission reduction objectives, there might be up to 230 million electric cars on our roads by 2030, accounting for 12% of total road traffic. Similarly, SDG scenarios anticipate that by 2050, roughly 40% of flight cars in Africa will be electric. With market forces gaining traction, customer awareness rising, and the advent of local EV enterprises, this prognosis is not out of the realm of possibility. Governments and investors must, however, assist these technologies to scale up and expedite adoption if Africa is to become a fast-growing source of demand for electric transportation. Reaching that point, I believe that I have answered all the questions you might have had concerning today's video. It is true that the African market is yet to be ready for EVs, but with time, the region, if it ups its game, it might be at par with the rest of the world as far as electric vehicles are concerned. Well, that point marks the end of our video. If you enjoyed and would like to get more videos like this, please subscribe if you haven't. Leave a like if you liked it, and until the next one, stay safe.