Electrification of municipal vehicle fleets

The City of Cape Town (CCT) conducted a three-year pilot project (2020-2022) comparing five BMWi3 electric vehicles (EVs) with five VW Golf GTI internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The study found that EVs are more affordable over a seven-year period when combining purchase price and operational costs, with the BMWi3 costing R768,950 compared to R1,415,281 for the ICE equivalent. The CCT identifies 477 hatchback vehicles in its fleet as potential candidates for electrification to reduce the 4,000 tonnes of CO2 emitted annually by that segment. The report emphasizes that EVs serve as a decarbonisation lever if charged with renewable energy and that future procurement must align vehicle range and charging infrastructure with operational requirements.

• A three-year pilot project (2020-2022) by the City of Cape Town (CCT) Traffic Services department demonstrated that electric passenger vehicles are more cost-effective than internal combustion engine (ICE) equivalents over a seven-year lifespan.
• The operational cost per kilometer for the BMWi3 EVs ranged from R0.35 to R0.46, significantly lower than the R2.36 per kilometer cost for the VW Golf GTI ICE vehicles.
• The CCT has identified 477 hatchback passenger vehicles in its fleet as suitable for electrification, which currently consume approximately 1,769,670 litres of petrol annually and emit about 4,000 tonnes of CO2.
• Road transport is a major contributor to the City of Cape Town's environmental impact, accounting for 28.7% of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 54.4% of its total energy consumption.
• To support the EV pilot, the CCT developed six charging stations, two of which are solar-powered and located at the Bellville and Somerset West Civic Centres.
• The report concludes that for municipal EV procurement to be successful, vehicles must be fit for purpose regarding battery range and supported by a suitable fast DC charging network.

APA

GreenCape (n.d.). Electrification of municipal vehicle fleets. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Case-Study-–-Electrification-of-Municipal-Vehicle-Fleet.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Electrification of municipal vehicle fleets. n.d. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Case-Study-–-Electrification-of-Municipal-Vehicle-Fleet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Electrification of municipal vehicle fleets |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Case-Study-–-Electrification-of-Municipal-Vehicle-Fleet.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencapendelectrification, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Electrification of municipal vehicle fleets}}, institution = {GreenCape}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Case-Study-–-Electrification-of-Municipal-Vehicle-Fleet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }