It will be quite some time before electric cars take over the roads in South Africa – if that should ever happen – but interest is growing. We take a look at how many electric vehicles (EVs) were sold locally in September.
Load shedding and price tags are two of the most significant factors keeping locals from even considering buying an electric vehicle in South Africa.
In a current poll on the News24 Motoring channel, 42% of our readers says EVs are too expensive for them. Most people can’t even afford vehicles like Suzuki’s R156 900 S-Presso, so never mind the cheapest EV in South Africa, which is the 135kW Mini SE which is priced from R709 400. Despite its price, it only offers a 215km driving range – and in real-world figures, this relates to only about 150km.
Eskom and load shedding
For 24% of our readers, Eskom and load shedding prevents them from buying an EV, while 23% say they don’t think EVs are a solution for SA, and only 10% say there’s nothing wrong with their current vehicles and they have no desire to change.
READ | EVs out of reach for most South Africans, but what are local car shoppers thinking?
The Nissan Leaf was the first EV to go on sale in 2013, and it’s been a slow progression in the growth of these models in our new market. Although the Leaf only cost about R446 000 almost a decade ago, it was a lot of money at the time. BMW was not far behind with its i3 model. The Leaf is no longer sold in SA.
Since then, Porsche came to the party with its stunning Taycan, and Mini has brought in its SE model. Volvo has the XC40 P6 Recharge, and both BMW and Mercedes-Benz launched an entire range of electric vehicles earlier in 2022.
Volvo’s XC40 P8 Recharge was sold out in four days last year, despite only 15 models being available at first. In 2022, when the Swedish automaker opened its online order books for the XC40 P6 Recharge, the 25 allocated vehicles for South Africa were sold out in only 24 hours.
Audi has also introduced a range of e-tron models with five models in their line-up; September saw them sell one e-tron GT model and three e-tron Sportback models.
The electric models South Africans bought in September
Porsche and Mercedes-Benz don’t disclose a model breakdown in their monthly sales reports with the National Automobile Association of Manufacturers in South Africa (Naamsa), but we do know the Porsche Taycan is quite popular. There are eight models in the Taycan line-up in SA, with the most affordable variant priced at R2 303 000 for the standard model and the priciest at R4 134 000 for the Taycan Turbo S.
Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo
Mercedes-Benz has three EV models available in the local market: the EQS Sedan (R2 542 000) and two SUVs; the EQB (R1 305 000) and EQC (R1 575 000).
So, excluding Porsche and Mercedes-Benz unknown EV figures, here’s which electric models South Africans bought in September:
Jaguar sold one I-Pace last month. The car has a price tag of R2 029 800 and a driving range of about 470km.
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BMW sold three i3 models, although it’s currently no longer listed on their official website. They sold five i4 models; the i4 M50 is priced from R1 600 000 – it’s most affordable electric vehicle in their range. But the most surprising is the iX, priced from R1 700 000, which found 12 new EV owners in September. That brings electric tally sales to 25 just for September and excludes any EVs sold by Porsche and Mercedes.
It might just be a drop in the ocean compared to the global market, but 20-odd EVs is a pretty sum for one month of sales in a country plagued by Eskom and its load shedding with lacking infrastructure and exorbitant prices.
This article has been republished with updated info.
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