The electric vehicle revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa: Trends, challenges, and opportunities

The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is sweeping the world, and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is no exception. Despite the environmental and sustainability narratives surrounding EVs, it is now undeniable that the transition to electric mobility is inevitable. Over the last couple of years, the region has made considerable advancements in transitioning towards electric transportation, with the government and private sector collaborating to make EVs more accessible to the public. Despite the progress made, the region still has the lowest transition rate globally. Moreover, the available information is limited to identifying critical challenges that require attention to ensure a reasonable decarbonization of passenger vehicle transport in the region. This review focuses on the current advancements, challenges, and opportunities of EV development in SSA and puts forward ways to hasten its transition in the region. The transition towards EVs in SSA still faces significant challenges that need to be addressed. Particularly, the absence of clear policies and regulations that outline EV targets for individual countries, the high purchase price of EVs, poor electricity networks, and the scarcity of public e-charging stations are the primary impediments that obstruct the EV transition in SSA. To expedite the transition, it is highly recommended to formulate new regional and national strategies rather than adopting developed nations' EV transition model blueprint.