The 2024 edition of the evrt Africa, the epic electric vehicle (EV) showcase that travels around South Africa, will go bigger than ever before, demonstrating the rapidly advancing variety and capabilities of EVs.
Running from 15 February – 24 February next year, the event will also incorporate the electric Go Green Africa torch symbolising the need and opportunity for African organisations to Go Green over the next 10 years. The electric torch will be lit at the start of the evrt Africa 2024 and carried from towns and cities across many of South Africa’s provinces.
At the launch of the 2024 event in Cape Town last week (EDS: 24 February), it was announced that the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) Eastern Cape and AutoTrader will be coming along for the ride, with both signing up as partners for next year’s event.
To mark the partnership with AIDC Eastern Cape, which is mandated to drive the province’s automotive industry, evrt Africa 2024 will now include a jam packed stop in Gqeberha.
“Our partnership involves bringing evrt Africa and its whole fleet of electric cars to the Eastern Cape, as part of promoting EV and the green economy, whist showcasing the stunning province that we are fortunate to live in,” said AIDC EC CEO Thabo Shenxane. “The province is the largest manufacturer of cars in the country and we export cars to Europe, so the transition to electric is very important. We are also doing lots of work convincing the provincial government to start investing in EV infrastructure, and the skills around the EV industry.”
Group Director of Mobility at Vuka Group Ben Pullen, who brought evrt Africa to South Africa in 2019, said that the 2024 event aimed to be the most exciting road trip in the world. “Asides from being an incredible real-world showcase of the latest EV technology, which will show South Africans that many of the issues around power supply and charging are really only perceived limitations, the road trip will be about enjoying the country’s scenery, food, adventure activities, and culture.”
Besides the green economy aspect, increasing demand for EVs has the potential to create local employment opportunities. This is of particular interest to the Western Cape Government, which brought one of the city’s BMW i3 vehicles to the evrt Africa 2024 announcement event.
“The Western Cape is the first province to launch an EV strategy. We take it seriously,” said new provincial Minister of Mobility Ricardo Mackenzie on Friday. “We are proud to be partners in this and are keen to drive mobility and the green economy, because this is where the jobs lie.”
And the data is unequivocal: South African consumers are increasingly interested in EVs. Although battery electric cars remain the ultimate prize, AutoTrader CEO Geore Mienie says that the company’s latest Hybrid Car Buyers Survey revealed that hybrids were in particular demand because of their current price point.
“Advert views for hybrids have increased by 44% yoy and enquiries 64% yoy, and 45% of respondents said they’d consider buying a hybrid in the next few years. In order to achieve mass adoption of electric vehicles, surveys have shown we have to get the cost below R500 000. This is why we say that there is a middle step for the mass market, and that is in the hybrid. Consumers want battery electric but it’s too expensive today. What is fundamental though is education around what hybrids can offer.”
Eskom Distribution was in support of the event, and Group Executive Monde Bala shared their vision to electrify around 20% of their vehicles by 2025, which could drive demand of electric vehicles in the country, given that Eskom Distribution has more than 10 000 vehicles in its fleet.
Some of the attendees at the evrt Africa 2024 announcement event got a taste of the EV experience on a scenic drive around Cape Town. Vehicles included the Mini Cooper Electric and BMW iX3 from Drive Electric, a new electric vehicle leasing company which launched in Cape Town, the new Volvo XC40 Recharge, the Tesla Model X from Rubicon, the Mercedes EQA, EQB, EQC and EQS, and the BMW i3 which came from the Western Cape Government. The announcement event was one of a number of events happening in Cape Town in conjunction with the city’s inaugural ABB FIA Formula E Cape Town E-Prix as part of the E-Fest Cape Town series of events, including Africa’s Green Economy Summit and E-Fest ELECTRIC.
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