Sustainability is no longer a distant ideal. It is an immediate economic and societal imperative. Globally, trillions of dollars are being invested in sustainable solutions, yet Africa’s share remains disproportionately small. This financial gap presents a challenge, but also a unique opportunity for context-appropriate innovation, and for South Africa, that opportunity is clearest on two and three wheels: electric micro mobility.
The momentum for New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) is building on the continent, with South Africa recording over 100% year-on-year growth in 2024, according to naamsa. While such progress is impressive, the number of actual units sold remains paltry by global standards.
The power of affordability and existing market potential
The path to mass electric adoption in South Africa must start where the business case is strongest, and that is overwhelmingly in the micro mobility segment.
Firstly, affordability is key. Compared to the capital outlay for a full-sized electric passenger vehicle, electric two- and three-wheelers offer a significantly lower barrier to entry. This advantage is amplified when considering the total cost of ownership (TCO). For critical use cases like last-mile delivery and e-hailing services, electric alternatives are proving cheaper to run than their petrol and diesel counterparts, especially when factoring in the reduced need for scheduled maintenance.
Secondly, the existing market is showing strong potential. While NEVs still constitute a small fraction of overall vehicle sales, the findings from WesBank’s market research highlight the resilience and potential of the electric micro mobility sector. The research reveals that in 2024, South Africa’s electric micro mobility market was valued at approximately R244 million, with around 3,800 electric micro mobility assets sold. This marks a robust 20% year-on-year growth and captures about 10% of the overall two- and three-wheeler market. This segment, globally, is already one of the most electrified road transport sectors, and the convergence of technology availability and booming demand for last-mile delivery positions South Africa perfectly for scaled adoption.
A catalyst for local manufacturing and job creation
The focus on micro mobility presents a compelling opportunity to leverage South Africa’s most established industrial strength – its automotive manufacturing sector. The government has already committed R1 billion to support local NEV and battery production, signalling an explicit intent to create industrial development opportunities.
Electric two- and three-wheelers are modular in design, making them ideal for initial local assembly from complete knock-down (CKD) kits. This is a pragmatic entry point for manufacturers, allowing for the rapid transfer of skills and the incremental development of a local component supply chain.
By prioritising this segment, South Africa can deepen the automotive value chain, including manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance of electric micro mobility vehicles, while their components create new opportunities for local content, aligning with the goals of the South African Automotive Masterplan (SAAM) 2035.
The country also stands to spur job creation from the demand for new skills, from battery assembly and power electronics manufacturing to the maintenance of these specialised vehicles. Furthermore, the expansion of e-hailing and last-mile delivery services, enabled by cheaper electric operating costs, will support the growth of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and job opportunities in logistics services.
Sustainable mobility is about more than just replacing internal combustion engines. It’s about reshaping the movement of people and goods to be efficient, attainable, and tailored to our unique realities. By focusing on electric micro mobility, we align our ecosystem with broader developmental goal of reducing costly fuel import dependencies, creating jobs, and building resilience against global shocks. This is how South Africa will successfully navigate its electric mobility transition.
Prometheus
Richard Maponya studied to be a teacher but couldn\’t find work, so he became a stock taker at a clothing manufacturer. His manager sold him soiled clothing and offcuts, which he resold. He made enough capital to open a clothing retailer. In the early 1950\’s Maponya and his wife established the Dube Hygienic Dairy, which delivered milk to customers daily. By the 1970\’s his clothing empire had grown enough for him to branch into other areas, including: general stores, car dealerships and filling stations. In 2007, Maponya Mall in Soweto was opened, one of the largest shopping centres in the country. He continued to focus on Soweto\’s growth by establishing Maponya Motor City, which included a Volkswagen and Toyota dealership.