The numbers are in.The sales of electric vehicles (EV) declined globally in the fi rst quarter of 2024, according to auto majors Volkswagen (VW), Mercedes-Benz (MB), and Tesla. However, the BMW Group has reported growth in the same period.VW reported a 3% drop, while MB reported an 8% decline in EV sales yet a 6% increase for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and Tesla reported its fi rst-ever year-on-year sales decline since 2020. 


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="573" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/BYD-Dolphin-1024x573.png" alt="" class="wp-image-62336" style="width:536px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/BYD-Dolphin-1024x573.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/BYD-Dolphin-300x168.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/BYD-Dolphin-768x430.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/BYD-Dolphin-1536x860.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/BYD-Dolphin-2048x1146.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">BYD Dolphin (Image Supplied)</figcaption></figure></div>


The BMW Group are up 28% compared to the same period in 2023.Hiten Parmar, Executive Director of The Electric Mission, tells FORBES AFRICA that the EV slowdown quotes are overstated, mainly regional, and brand-specifi c but notes the impact of seasonal statistics for the calendar period. Parmar cites the International Energy Agency’s latest Global EV Outlook 2024 report that says EV sales grew by 25% in the fi rst quarter of 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023. 



“The number of EVs sold globally in the fi rst three months of this year is roughly equivalent to the number sold in all of 2020,” says Parmar.Certain regions are revising their policies and support mechanisms for EVs to which the market sales have reacted within these segments, he adds. 



“Geopolitics are also at play within the automotive trade, which is evident on the Chinese EV brands within Europe and the US.”



“In South Africa, the reports are still showing progressive growth on the EV market,” says Parmar, and EV sales for new vehicles have continued to increase year-on-year.



The Global EV Outlook 2024 report also notes that South Africa has the second-highest proportion of fast EV chargers to slow chargers at Akabor53%, behind New Zealand at 75%.According to Naamsa, the Automotive Business Council, 330 Battery EVs (BEV) have been sold in South Africa in Q1 2024, compared to the 232 sold in the same period last year. 



The figure reflects 35% of the 931 total BEVs sold in 2023.



“Global OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) have also announced new EV model introductions into South Africa, which is also an indication that the EV market will still remain progressive,” he says.


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="763" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Spiro-bike-1024x763.png" alt="" class="wp-image-62331" style="width:562px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Spiro-bike-1024x763.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Spiro-bike-300x224.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Spiro-bike-768x572.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Spiro-bike-1536x1145.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Spiro-bike.png 1860w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Spiro bike (Image Supplied)</figcaption></figure></div>


South Africa is expected to receive competitively-priced EVs in 2024 from Chinese manufacturers like Omoda and Jaecoo – both sub-brands of the Chery Group; Build Your Dreams in the form of the Dolphin, which is expected to be the cheapest – or least expensive EV in South Africa; and JAC’s introduction of the first double cab electric bakkie.



Other EVs headed our way include models from Audi, Fiat, Lotus, Maserati, Mini, Volvo and VW.



One model in particular stands out as the best-seller for Q1 2024– the Volvo EX30, with 82 units sold. A total of 500 units have been allocated to the local market. 



With a starting price of R775 900 ($), the EX30 features a minimalist cabin similar to a Tesla Model 3 with a 12.3-inch large display for all controls in the vehicle.



Aimed at a tech-savvy crowd, there are no buttons, switches or physical controls, except for what’s on the steering wheel. The giant touch screen is used for everything else, including the speedometer as there is no instrument cluster behind the steering wheel.



The EX30 is Volvo’s cheapest EV and fastest car, which can go from 0-100km/h in a mere 3.7 seconds on the 315kW Twin Motor Performance model.



Despite the EX30’s somewhat positive outlook for South Africa, the country has yet to see a convincing policy framework to get EVs out of its less than 1% market share since EVs were first introduced in 2013, says Parmar.



With reference to South Africa’s 2024 budget speech, Naamsa CEO Mikel Mabasa says a notable component was Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s introduction of an investment allowance for new EV investments, set to commence in March 2026. 



But Parmar says: “African countries could soon begin to surpass South Africa’s EV market share, whilst also establishing local EV production in their regions as they aim to participate within the global value chain of the automotive sector.”

Volvo EX30

Revving Up: Electric Vehicles Gain Momentum In Africa

REE Automotive thinks the way to get electric vehicles into the mainstream is to flatten things out–by using a skateboard platform that integrates the battery, motors and driving controls into a flush floor and allows for independent steering of wheels. And while this tech startup’s concept is radical, it’s finding support from traditional automotive partners.



The latest to sign on is Tokyo-based KYB Corp., one of the world’s biggest makers of shock absorbers. The companies said today they’ve formed a partnership to develop suspension capabilities for electric vehicles that will be built off of Tel Aviv-based REE’s platform. Financial details of the arrangement, the first EV project for KYB, weren’t disclosed. REE emerged from stealth mode in 2019 and is also working with Toyota-affiliated truckmaker Hino, Mitsubishi Corp. and FiatChrysler.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0-1-1-797x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-45572" width="194" height="249" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0-1-1-797x1024.jpg 797w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0-1-1-300x386.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0-1-1-600x771.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0-1-1-233x300.jpg 233w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0-1-1-768x987.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0-1-1.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px" /><figcaption>CEO and cofounder Daniel Barel REE AUTOMOTIVE</figcaption></figure></div>



KYB is “excited to partner with REE Automotive and share its revolutionary EV vision by engineering a suspension subsystem that supports the needs of tomorrow’s mobility ecosystem,” Kazunori Masumoto, KYB’s general manager of engineering, said in a statement. 



For more than a decade, many companies have touted the benefits of standardized, flat undercarriages that could support multiple vehicle types, from sedans and crossovers to vans and commercial trucks, to dramatically eliminate costs to create individual platforms for each. Most recently, electric truck startup&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2019/12/23/electric-truckmaker-rivian-backed-by-amazon-ford-raises-whopping--13-billion/#3a2ca1031847">Rivian</a>, automotive tech firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2020/02/11/hyundai-adds-electric-vehicle-skateboard-project-with-la-startup-canoo-to-its-87-billion-mobility-push/#139d4beb1017">Canoo</a>&nbsp;and the U.K.’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2020/01/29/ups-jumps-into-the-future-with-plan-to-buy-10000-electric-vans-and-a-waymo-self-driving-delivery-pilot/#735e17105aa5">Arrival</a>&nbsp;have promoted flat platforms for a range of battery-powered vehicles, but REE cofounder and CEO Daniel Barel says his company takes the approach even farther.&nbsp;



“They’re great, but they are not skateboards. Only the middle is a skateboard,” Barel tells Forbes. The difference is how much battery REE’s design can accommodate and the complete integration of drive controls into the floor, he says. “We hold the most batteries per footprint than anybody else in the industry.&#8221; 



Barel says his company, which is not building complete vehicles, intends to have its technology on the road in 2021. One possible version was shown in October at the Tokyo Motor Show by Hino, with its <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.hino.co.jp/tokyomotorshow2019/en/booth/" target="_blank">FlatFormer electric concept vehicle</a> riding on an REE-based platform. The Japanese truckmaker showed variations of the concept modified to serve as delivery trucks, food service and sanitation vehicles, mobile offices and salons and even agricultural and sanitation trucks, with different tops riding on the platform.



“KYB’s technology will play a crucial role in the rapid development of our next-generation EV architecture, which reinvents the electric vehicle with a completely flat, scalable and fully modular platform, ready to carry the future of e-mobility,” Barel said.



Along with lowering development costs, electric vehicles using REE’s technology will be lighter and considerably more compact. “We’re not only 33% lighter, but we’re almost 70% smaller in footprint” relative to Tesla Model 3, with the same interior volume, Barel claims. The business plan would rely mainly on supplying its design to different companies, ranging from auto and truck manufacturers to delivery and logistics companies, that he declined to identify.&nbsp;



To date, REE has raised “about $100 million” from investors and automotive partners, Barel said, without elaborating. That’s more than double the $40.2 million the company had raised through its Series C round in 2018, according to Crunchbase. Additional fundraising is planned for 2020, though he didn’t provide details.&nbsp;



If REE or other startups can bring viable platforms to market, demand could be strong, says Gartner&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/gartner" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IT</a>&nbsp;transportation tech analyst Mike Ramsey. “There&#8217;s a lot of reasons to think that this would be super appealing. You&#8217;ve opened up the world of automakers very large, potentially, you know, with this platform approach,” he said. “But it does still require a lot of additional work–the crash testing, the assembly system and everything needed to support it.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Whether REE’s approach works in the real world remains to be seen, but it’s an approach that could help speed the slow shift away from conventional internal combustion engine designs if it helps make EVs easier to build and much cheaper. Barel sees flat platforms as doing just that.&nbsp;



“To keep on building vehicles the same way we’ve been doing it for a hundred years doesn&#8217;t make a lot of sense.”



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&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/">Alan Ohnsman</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/transportation">Transportation</a>

Tag: electric cars

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Revving Up: Electric Vehicles Gain Momentum In Africa

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