Why South Africans are not buying electric vehicles

Mike Wills speaks with Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist

Listen below.

The electric vehicle (EV) market has been very slow to grow in South Africa.

In 2023, only 7,693 ‘new energy vehicles’ were sold, and most of these were hybrids according to Ferguson.

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She adds that people are reluctant to buy these cars due to their cost, concerns about electricity supply, and limited driving range on a battery.

There are not enough charging stations.

“When you are on 5% battery with no charging station site… you get terrible range anxiety.”

- Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.