South Africa wants electric cars

In an effort to promote green technology in South Africa, the government will subsidise the production of electric cars, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said at the launch of the Electronic Vehicle Industry Road Map, which he hopes to submit to the cabinet for approval by September. According to a recent report, South African vehicle manufacturers would qualify for a 35 per cent production subsidy if they locally produced at least 5,000 electronic cars. There are currently three solar-powered chargin
May 7, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
In an effort to promote green technology in South Africa, the government will subsidise the production of electric cars, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said at the launch of the Electronic Vehicle Industry Road Map, which he hopes to submit to the cabinet for approval by September.

According to a recent report, South African vehicle manufacturers would qualify for a 35 per cent production subsidy if they locally produced at least 5,000 electronic cars.

There are currently three solar-powered charging stations in the country. The Electric Vehicle Industry Road Map envisions an additional 47 charging stations by 2015.

“What will make these vehicles sellable in South Africa will be entirely dependent on whether these cars are made in South Africa,” he said.  “These are the very early stages for the cars in manufacturing. There are zero of these cars being produced in the country. That is why we need to get the programmes going.”

Related Content

  • Liverpool plans to boost cyclist numbers
    June 5, 2014
    An extra 30,000 residents will be cycling in UK city Liverpool over the next three years according to city council projections, as authorities make cycling easier and more convenient in the city. The city's strategy, titled the Liverpool Cycling Revolution, includes targets of getting 15 per cent of the city's population to cycle at least once a month, and ten per cent to cycle every week. As well as the positive impacts on residents' health, the strategy is expected to help the city reach its goal of cu
    Read More
  • Trials of new technologies to counter age-old work zone challenges
    May 19, 2017
    New solutions are being used to improve the management and safety of work zones on roads both big and small, as Jon Masters discovers. The UK government has recently been going to some lengths to paint a picture of a nation embracing a future of digital technology – understandably given the economic concerns arising from exiting the European Union. In December last year, however, the UK National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) put down a somewhat different marker for where the UK is now in terms of mobile c
    Read More
  • Road user charging comes a step closer in Oregon
    December 19, 2017
    Having been the first US state to introduce the gas tax a century ago, Oregon is now blazing the road user charging trail. Colin Sowman looks at progress to date. For more than a decade, authorities in Oregon have known of the impending decline in fuels tax income and while revenue increased by more than 5% in 2016, that growth will slow considerably this year and income is projected to start declining in 2020.
    Read More
  • Hydrogen: transportation's silver bullet?
    June 22, 2021
    As the quest for carbon-neutrality becomes a key political and economic driver, everyone is on the lookout for new sources of energy - so perhaps hydrogen’s time has come
    Read More

Highlighted Content