EVs you can actually buy in Africa

From the newsletter

We have started to compiling a monthly price list of electric vehicles that are in stock and for sale in African markets. It’s no small task. Dozens of local and global brands are spreading showrooms across 55 nations on the continent. In our inaugural listing we have 17 electric cars, 17 e-motorcycles, 4 e-bicycles and 3 e-buses.

• Our list focuses on the biggest African consumer markets, reaching the north, west, east and south of the continent.  

• The top-line insight: The cheapest motorcycle costs $1,300 (Nigeria). That’s almost the same price as many lower-end petrol versions. 

More details

• We have so far surveyed four countries: Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa.  

• In the electric car market, we looked at four Chinese brands with a total of nine cars available in Africa now. This is definitely the largest presence. 

• The Germans (VW and BMW) have a total of three cars and the Swedes (Volvo) also three. Korea (Hyundai) has two and Japan (Nissan) has one. We expect to expand this list next month.  

• In the bus sector, the greatest concentration is in East Africa, where several companies have been pursuing an electric future for public road transportation for many years. Kenya has Roam and BasiGo, while in Uganda the state is invested in Kiira.  

• Electric bicycles are only slowly gaining popularity but each of the major African markets has at least one domestic brand (as well as foreign imports). Egike in Egypt, eBee in Kenya, Green Riders in South Africa and Simba in Nigeria. 

• The electric motorcycle market is the most advanced among the vehicle segments. While the car market is dominated by imports, many of the motorcycles for sale are designed or assembled on the continent. 

• In East Africa, there are Ampersand in Rwanda, Roam, Spiro and ARC Ride in Kenya, and Dodai in Ethiopia. 

• In West Africa, Orbit and MAX compete in Nigeria, while Energica powers Egypt and three companies (VMoto, EWIZZ and EZBikes) serve South Africa.  

Our take

• Price pressure is increasing as ever more brands enter the various national markets. So far, there is little visibility within countries and even less across borders. We’re hoping to change that. 

• If nobody knows what is sold in a market and at what price, then – basically – there is no market. The very concept of a market requires wide product and price awareness. A market exists when buyers and sellers see what is on offer across the board. Then competition kicks in and the flow of price information optimises commerce. 

• We hope that our product & price listing will contribute to creating an African EV market. This will be a monthly feature. We expect to expand to more countries and take in more vehicle models over time. Please bear with us as we collect detailed price data for all vehicles and brands, then share the list next month.