Developing a framework to promote the adoption of electric vehicles in South Africa

Abstract

Increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are considered as the major challenge for climate change, global warming and air quality in cities and South Africa has pledged a reduction of its GHG emissions to peak at 398 to 614 Mt CO2-eq for the period 2025 to 2030 as part of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The government has also noted that as a means to reduce GHG emissions, the domestic electric vehicle (EV) market needs to grow significantly as the road transport sector is responsible for over two-thirds of transport-related carbon dioxide emissions. While many developed nations globally are beginning to adopt EVs as a strategy to moderate GHG emissions, South Africa is falling short in this regard and still lacks a policy on the electrification of vehicles. A qualitative research design was used to investigate and identify factors that have potential to stimulate the adoption of EVs in South Africa. A conceptual framework of public policies for innovation diffusion was also used to provide structure to the study. Additionally, the conceptual framework was further expanded with a view to developing and proposing a framework to policymakers for the promotion of the adoption and uptake of EVs in South Africa. Some of the major findings from the study were that the high purchase price of EVs, the availability of charging infrastructure and the lack of customer education and awareness were the biggest impediments to the uptake of the domestic EV market. Inversely, these were equally the main factors that have potential to stimulate the uptake of the EV market in South Africa. Amongst the recommendations from the proposed framework were that policymakers should be cognisant of these and other demand-side barriers together with existing advantages such as the presence of a successful automotive policy framework in South Africa and should devise policies aimed at removing the barriers to the adoption of EVs in the local market. Furthermore, the proposed framework also highlights the significant role that government needs to play by being involved in driving the demand for EVs in South Africa through relevant interventions, notably, through the provision of policy incentives.