South Africa is more than ready to make the transition to more carbon-neutral motoring but a clear strategy built on sustainability needs to be put into place or the country could find itself left behind.
In a number of panel discussions at the National Association of Automobile Component and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM) Show in Pretoria, this message was echoed by a number of speakers, not the least of whom was Irvin Jim, General Secretary of NUMSA, who said: “We live in a world that is dynamic and will leave us behind if we do not adapt. If we do not make ourselves relevant, production will shift elsewhere.”
Solly Mapaila, General Secretary of the SACP, echoed this and pointed at the Government by saying: “At the policy level, we have become a talking country that has forgotten how to do.”
Activity in Africa
Elsewhere in Africa, there is considerable activity – Morocco is embarking on the construction of a giga-factory to build batteries for electric vehicles with the added bonus for them of lithium – a key component – discovered within its borders recently and Kenya is seeing a major uptake of electric vehicle sales.
However, the transition has to be handled carefully and US analyst, Loren McDonald, CEO of EVAdoption LLC, said in his keynote address this should be thought about at a local level rather than simply following global trends.
“I think hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrids present a great opportunity for South Africa.”
He also pointed out battery technology was advancing and changing quickly with the next level likely to be Sodium Ion which is around 30% cheaper than current lithium-based batteries, adding: “And, Sodium is available just about everywhere.”
Andrew Kirby, Chief Executive Officer of Toyota South Africa Motors said: “There is no reason why the industry cannot make the transition, but it has to be done sustainably.
Need To Provide
“We need to be conscious as a country that different segments will have different needs such as daily commuters, short-haul delivery vehicles and long-haul truckers, and we will have to be able to adapt quickly to provide for them.”
Besides the changes in automotive technology, there will have to be significant changes to the skill sets of workers and Neale Hill, President of Ford Motor Company Africa, said: “We have to find a way of making the automobile industry attractive to young people and encourage them to become engineers or toolmakers.
“The capability and creativity is here – we just have to unlock it.”
Colin Windell – proudly CHANGECARS
