By Linda Cele, Products Head Key Accounts & Partnerships: Fleet Management and Leasing, WesBank
28 October 2025 – Sustainability is no longer a distant ideal; it is an urgent economic and societal imperative. Around the world, trillions of dollars are being invested in solutions that balance economic growth with environmental responsibility. Yet, Africa’s share of this global shift remains disproportionately small. While this funding gap presents a challenge, it also opens the door for context-specific innovation—and in South Africa, that opportunity is clearest on two and three wheels: electric micro mobility.
The Momentum for New Energy Vehicles in South Africa
The adoption of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) is gaining traction across the continent. In South Africa, the market for electric vehicles grew by over 100% year-on-year in 2024, according to naamsa. While this growth is encouraging, total unit sales remain modest compared to global benchmarks.
To achieve meaningful mass adoption, the focus must start where the business case is strongest: the micro mobility segment.
Affordability Meets Practical Potential
Affordability is a defining factor in South Africa’s electric mobility future. Electric two- and three-wheelers require a far lower capital outlay than full-sized electric passenger vehicles. Beyond initial purchase costs, the total cost of ownership (TCO) presents a compelling advantage. For use cases like last-mile delivery and e-hailing services, electric alternatives are proving cheaper to operate than petrol or diesel equivalents, thanks to reduced maintenance requirements and lower operating costs.
The market itself demonstrates strong promise. According to WesBank research, South Africa’s electric micro mobility sector was valued at approximately R244 million in 2024, with around 3,800 assets sold. This represents a robust 20% year-on-year growth, capturing nearly 10% of the two- and three-wheeler market. Globally, this sector is one of the most electrified road transport categories, and South Africa’s combination of technology availability and rising demand for last-mile solutions positions the country for scaled adoption.
Driving Local Manufacturing and Job Creation
Focusing on micro mobility is not only economically sensible—it is an opportunity to leverage South Africa’s existing industrial strengths. The automotive manufacturing sector is well-established, and government support is explicit: R1 billion has been allocated to promote local NEV and battery production, signalling a commitment to industrial development.
Electric two- and three-wheelers are modular, making them ideal for local assembly from complete knock-down (CKD) kits. This approach allows manufacturers to rapidly transfer skills, develop a local component supply chain, and incrementally build the domestic industry.
Prioritising this segment deepens South Africa’s automotive value chain, from manufacturing and assembly to maintenance, while creating local content opportunities in line with the South African Automotive Masterplan (SAAM) 2035. The adoption of electric micro mobility also spurs demand for new skills—battery assembly, power electronics, and vehicle maintenance—supporting employment growth. Simultaneously, cheaper operating costs encourage the expansion of SMEs in e-hailing and last-mile logistics, further broadening job creation.
Beyond Replacing Petrol and Diesel
Sustainable mobility is not just about replacing internal combustion engines. It is about reimagining how people and goods move—efficiently, affordably, and in a way that reflects our unique realities. By focusing on electric micro mobility, South Africa can reduce fuel import dependency, create jobs, and build resilience against global economic and environmental shocks.
This strategic focus positions the country to lead its own electric mobility transition, ensuring that sustainability is both an economic opportunity and a developmental priority. Electric micro mobility is not merely the start of South Africa’s journey to cleaner transport—it is a catalyst for growth, innovation, and inclusive prosperity.
