Introducing Electric Vehicles to Southern Africa: A Systemic Innovation Approach Towards a Green New Deal

The document examines the potential for electric vehicles (EVs) to transform the economic trajectories of Southern African states, specifically within the SADC region. It highlights the risks of remaining reactive—such as becoming a 'dumping ground' for obsolete internal combustion engine technology—and proposes a 'Green New Deal' for the region. The authors advocate for the integration of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, such as blockchain for ethical mineral sourcing, the development of regional battery value chains, and the deployment of decentralized renewable energy grids to support e-mobility.

• South Africa has seen very low adoption of electric vehicles compared to global trends; in 2018, only 369 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were sold out of 512,217 new cars, representing 0.2% of the total.
• South Africa is a significant global emitter of greenhouse gases, ranking as the 14th largest emitter and accounting for 7.1% of global GHGs. Major contributors include Eskom and Sasol, with Sasol's Secunda facility being the world's single largest source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
• The SADC region possesses significant reserves of battery minerals, including cobalt, copper, graphite, lithium, manganese, nickel, and vanadium, which could support regional battery value chains if governance and infrastructure are improved.
• Blockchain technology is proposed as a systemic innovation to ensure an ethical and sustainable battery supply chain by authenticating the route to market and enabling the tracking of recycled materials.
• To support e-mobility, the document recommends building decentralized energy grids and utilizing renewable energy, citing Eskom's solar-powered microgrid at Wilhelmina Farm as a positive existing example.
• The authors suggest that SADC governments should lead the transition by electrifying government fleets and supporting electric taxi and bus networks, potentially using 'Pay as You Save' (PAYS) financing to reduce upfront capital costs.

APA

Cloete, D., Grobbelaar, N., & Bertelsmann-Scott, T. (2019). Introducing Electric Vehicles to Southern Africa: A Systemic Innovation Approach Towards a Green New Deal. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Policy-Briefing-Futures-cloete-et-al.pdf

Chicago

Cloete, Deon, Neuma Grobbelaar, and Talitha Bertelsmann-Scott. Introducing Electric Vehicles to Southern Africa: A Systemic Innovation Approach Towards a Green New Deal. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2019. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Policy-Briefing-Futures-cloete-et-al.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cloete |first1=Deon |last2=Grobbelaar |first2=Neuma |last3=Bertelsmann-Scott |first3=Talitha |title=Introducing Electric Vehicles to Southern Africa: A Systemic Innovation Approach Towards a Green New Deal |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Policy-Briefing-Futures-cloete-et-al.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cloete2019introducing, author = {Cloete, Deon and Grobbelaar, Neuma and Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha}, title = {{Introducing Electric Vehicles to Southern Africa: A Systemic Innovation Approach Towards a Green New Deal}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Policy-Briefing-Futures-cloete-et-al.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }