Two years to the timeline set by the federal government to increase the percentage of electric vehicles in Nigeria to 7.50 per cent of the vehicles plying roads in the country, there are doubts over the feasibility of the target.
Two years after the first locally assembled electric vehicle was launched, only about 200 units have been sold.
The government had, in its 2050 Policy Agenda document launched by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May, said the proportion of electric vehicles in Nigeria was less than one per cent. The government had planned to increase the number to 7.50% in 2025, 14 % in 2030, 20.50% in 2035, 27% in 2040, 33.50% in 2045 and 40% in 2050.
The target was part of the proposed investment in climate-smart technologies to reduce carbon emissions in line with the global vehicle electrification programme aimed at reducing the internal combustion engine vehicles which run on fossil fuel and contributing to global carbon emissions.
In its report on Africa Electric Vehicle Market Size and Share Analysis (2023-2028 forecast), Mordor Intelligence estimated that Africa Electric Vehicle Market was valued at $11.94bn in 2021, adding that, “it is projected to reach $21.39bn by 2027.”
Many African countries like South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, Zambia and others are investing in EVs. For instance, there are 6,367 electric vehicles in South Africa as of 2022, indicating that 0.2% of new cars sold there were fully electric.
The ride-hailing platform, Bolt, is also investing in EVs. It recently introduced electric vehicles to its fleet in Kenya, the first African country such would be introduced.
Globally, under a decarbonisation objective, the electric vehicle market is growing, exceeding 10 million sales in 2022, with 14% of all new cars sold being electric, according to the global EV Outlook 2023 with 26 million EVs on the roads.
China is leading the pack with 13.9m cars followed by Europe with 9.5m and the US 3m EVs. There are projections to achieve 14m sales by year-end as developed countries race to achieve 50% by 2040.
Nigeria lags behind
In 2021, Nigeria launched the first locally assembled electric vehicle, Hyundai Kona, from the stable of Stallion Motors.
This followed the unveiling of the pilot programme by the National Automotive Industry Design and Development Council (NADDC) with a partnership with the Stallion Group and other stakeholders to roll out 100 solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations across Nigeria.
The introduction of the Hyundai Kona opened a new vista of opportunities in the automotive industry as the world attempts to phase out the petrol-powered vehicles in response to global climate change and concerted action against emissions.
The Kona first debuted in June 2017; while the electric version called the Kona Electric was first launched in South Korea in the first half of 2018 before it was rolled out gradually worldwide.
The Kona can go up to a range of 482km with an acceleration of (0-100km) in 9.7 seconds on a single battery cycle of a capacity of 64 kilowatt hours.
The ease of charging has been described as unmatched as it can be plugged in at home or work for 9.35 hours for a full battery. It is 100 per cent electric with zero carbon emissions. The running cost is said to be minimal compared to the petrol-powered variant.
For electricity consumers resident in accommodations categorized under R1 where they are charged N45 per kilowatt, it is estimated that Hyundai Kona owners would incur only N3,300 for a full charge that will do a running of 482km, if the car is plugged into the public power supply.
Earlier in 2015, Kia Nigeria introduced the Kia Soul EV, the first electric vehicle in Nigeria.
Also, Jet Systems, an indigenous electric vehicle maker, is disrupting the passenger minibus market with the Jet Mover Electric Vehicle which it describes as a cheaper and cleaner alternative to ICE vehicles.
Text except headline courtesy Daily Trust
