Among two days of exciting presentations, there was an engaging panel session moderated by Openserve\u2019s Head of Technology and Lifecycle Management, Kagiso Modise, who was joined by four notable guests:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Paul Plummer<\/strong> \u2013 Chief Commercial Officer, EVERLECTRIC<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Greg Cross<\/strong> \u2013 Principal Director for Automotive and eMobility ACCENTURE<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Tshetlhe Litheko<\/strong> \u2013 Chief Policy Officer, NAAMSA<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Grant Locke<\/strong> \u2013 Managing Director, VOLVO<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The panel analysed the current state of electric vehicle (EV) adoption in South Africa and the expectations they have for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EV adoption<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The panel noted that EVs are still regarded as a poor investment by many South Africans despite the global trend shifting towards their use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going through an inflexion point around the world, and South Africa will not be an exception to this,\u201d said Locke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are certain lessons we can take from the rest of the world to help South Africa\u2019s adoption of EVs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This includes building the infrastructure needed to support EVs across the country while also standardising the systems involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Automakers and motoring brands play a key role in this, with Plummer noting that EVERLECTRIC has seen an accelerated drive towards EV adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing an absolute acceleration,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe see Africa adopting EVs more quickly since we love efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For fleets, the increased efficiency of EVs will drive massive long-term adoption as corporations utilise the most cost-effective solutions available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSATNAC 2025 provided valuable insights to attendees.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Government and digitisation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Litheko discussed the impact of government policy on EV adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo drive adoption, government is playing around with how they balance that tax bracket,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo do an incentive that works, the government will need to do a rebate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He notes that this currently involves a bit of a juggling act, as the government will need to look at local production, import costs, and a huge range of factors to determine the rebate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cross then outlined how telco companies can work effectively with automotive companies to achieve greater adoption through the digitisation of features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think the marriage between automotive and telco is a natural fit, and we\u2019re seeing that now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTelco networks have three key features that automotive manufacturers want. That is high connectivity, access to data, and edge computing capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based on this, EV technology will continue to advance in South Africa, with cars offering increasingly innovative features to meet the evolving needs of customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Greg Cross<\/strong> \u2013 Principal Director for Automotive and eMobility ACCENTURE<\/li>\n\n\n\n