Electric Vehicles: Market Intelligence Report 2020

The report examines the nascent electric vehicle market in South Africa, highlighting a strong existing automotive manufacturing base that faces risks from global shifts toward EVs. While South Africa lacks specific EV subsidies, the report identifies key opportunities in electric bus manufacturing, lithium-ion battery production, and passenger vehicle exports. It notes significant barriers, including high import duties (averaging 42% total taxes) and a lack of policy certainty, while suggesting that the Western Cape is a primary hub for greentech investment.

• South Africa's automotive sector is a major economic driver, with revenue exceeding R503 billion ($35.6 billion) in 2018 and employing approximately 900,000 workers.
• The South African EV market is currently hindered by high taxes; electric vehicles face 25% import duties, and total taxes including ad valorem tax average around 42%.
• Electric bus manufacturing is identified as a high-potential medium-term opportunity because public transport offers the best business case for electrification and is subject to approximately 80% local content requirements.
• South Africa is positioned as an attractive destination for lithium-ion battery (LIB) production due to its existing battery industry and possession of 78% of the world's manganese.
• A transition to EVs could significantly improve South Africa's balance of trade; introducing one million EVs driving 20,000 km/a could reduce oil imports by 58 PJ/a, saving R8.1 billion ($580 million) per year.
• The shift to EVs poses a fiscal risk to the government because fuel levies are the fourth largest revenue stream, and the current policy is silent on electricity as a fuel for mobility.
• South Africa faces a risk of losing automotive trade markets in the EU, US, and SADC if it does not transition to EV manufacturing, as many of these countries plan to ban new-sale ICE vehicles from 2030.
• The South African EV passenger vehicle market has remained small and showed a decrease in sales from 2015 onwards, with penetration rates for passenger EVs remaining below 1%.
• Charging infrastructure in South Africa is limited, consisting of approximately 143 publicly accessible stations, mostly in Gauteng and primarily using AC charging.

APA

Raw, B., & Radmore, J. (2020). Electric Vehicles: Market Intelligence Report 2020. GreenCape. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ELECTRIC_VEHICLES_MARKET_INTELLIGENCE_REPORT_25_3_20_WEB-3.pdf

Chicago

Raw, Bruce, and Jack Radmore. Electric Vehicles: Market Intelligence Report 2020. GreenCape, 2020. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ELECTRIC_VEHICLES_MARKET_INTELLIGENCE_REPORT_25_3_20_WEB-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Raw |first1=Bruce |last2=Radmore |first2=Jack |title=Electric Vehicles: Market Intelligence Report 2020 |publisher=GreenCape |date=2020 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ELECTRIC_VEHICLES_MARKET_INTELLIGENCE_REPORT_25_3_20_WEB-3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{raw2020electric, author = {Raw, Bruce and Radmore, Jack}, title = {{Electric Vehicles: Market Intelligence Report 2020}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2020}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ELECTRIC_VEHICLES_MARKET_INTELLIGENCE_REPORT_25_3_20_WEB-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }