The just-launched e-Golf arguably is going to be the first ready-to-drive electric vehicle to be fully tested on driving conditions in Africa.

South Africa, the foremost country on the continent with over 1000 EVs already on its roads, receives quite some mention. But there is little if any EV data specific to conditions in Africa.

One only need look at some of the major EV research, specifically the International Energy Agency’s annual Global EV Outlook and the Electric Vehicle Outlook by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Both the annual analyses don’t yield any data or research on EV potential in Africa.

This, therefore, makes the debut of the e-Golf significant not just for Rwanda but the continent. The Chief Executive of Volkswagen Group South Africa acknowledged this, noting how "Volkswagen wants to make the e-Golf pilot project in Rwanda a blueprint for electric mobility in Africa.”

The project will collect data on the EV’s performance and consumers’ reception and use trends, including altitude, terrain and, among other factors, gradient. This last will be useful to test given Rwanda’s often steep hilly drives.

Other than the "thousand hills”, Rwanda often exemplifies Africa. And the fact is the challenges that affect that EV industry globally are more pronounced in much of the continent.

Global issues include the need for significant infrastructure investments such as dedicated charging stations, electricity, as well as change in consumer attitudes and behaviour.

In Africa, charging stations are few, with South Africa having the most at about 200 stations. In the region Tanzania and particularly country Kenya has a number of them, driven by increasing uptake of EVs. Rwanda aims to have at least 15 charging stations across Kigali in the coming weeks.

Power availability does not appear to be a problem at the moment. Aspiring countries, including those already with the EVs have an eye to the increase in the number of EVs. The Rwanda Energy Group has similarly given thumbs up with the promise of being up to the task as the power demand increases.

For now, projected demand for electric vehicles in Africa appears not have as yet been determined. Globally, however, according to the Electric Vehicle Outlook 2019, passenger vehicle sales will comprise 57 per cent of all vehicles by 2040. Overall, 30 per cent of the global passenger vehicle fleet are expected to be electric by that year.

In terms of numbers, over 2 million electric vehicles were sold in 2018, up from just a few thousand in 2010, and there is no sign of slowing down.

It is expected that annual passenger EV sales to rise to 10 million in 2025, 28 million in 2030 and 56 million by 2040.

It should be hoped that the homegrown African electric vehicles currently under development will feature in these sales. There are three that we can talk about beginning with the Joule, the failed South African locally-developed electric car.

The Joule was supposed to be a zero-emissions, five-seater, multi-purpose vehicle. But it never made it, despite making its debut at the Paris Motor Show. Despite holding great promise it folded in 2012 after Optimal Energy, the Joule developer, failed to find a commercial partner.

The Lion Ozuma 551, launched in July 2019 by students in the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Nigeria, does not look exactly pretty. Perhaps it’s because of the extremely low cost ($2,200) it took to build it. But it is credible and holds as much promise as any global electric vehicle.

Then there is Uganda’s Kiira, which many in East Africa including myself are a fan of. The flagship Kiira EVS has had its stutters. It, however, emerged fine during its longest test drive of 1,600km from Kampala to Kisoro and back. It holds great promise, not to mention other of the concept vehicles by Kiira Motors Corporation that includes the Kayoola solar-powered bus.

All told, we are not very far hitting the road with our homegrown electric vehicle that will already have incorporated African condition. Therefore, data from the e-Golf will help for those that, like itself, are made outside the continent. The e-Golf will be imported from Germany.

Other EVs manufactured outside Africa that we often see plying our roads, particularly in South Africa, include the Nissan Leaf, the BMW i3, and the Jaguar I-PACE. 

Their ride is also all about the environment. Thus the optimism the internal combustion engines will reduce as the EVs rise.