In preparation for the COP26 summit the Namibian government committed itself to increase the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country as a method to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
There are currently about 100EVs in Namibia, with an initial goal of 10,000EVs by 2030 which was later increased to 96,500 by 2025. On the other hand, Namibia currently has about 400,000 combustion vehicles.
Currently, there are three main models of EVs available in Namibia, that being the Nissan Leaf, Mercedes EQA/EQB and the BMW iX. The Nissan Leaf costs about N$240,000 and has a driving range of +120km. The Mercedes EQA has a range of 395km, and the BMW iX starts at N$1.7 million and has a range of about 400km.
The average EV costs N$0.48/km whilst a Toyota corolla costs N$1.94/km and a Hilux bakkie runs at N$2.51/km. With these prices in mind, it is obvious that an EV makes a wonderful city car.
The average Windhoek commuter drives 12,000km each year in town, and with current fuel and electricity prices they would save N$17,500 each year when driving an EV compared to a comparable petrol vehicle.
This price could be reduced even further if the commuter were to install solar on their house or if the fuel price would increase. These cars have the added benefit that each EV would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1,085kg per car per year, as well as reduce air pollution when powered with electricity supplied by NamPower.
Another benefit to these cars is that you don’t have to go to a gas station to fill up your car. You only have to plug in your car at night into a 3-pin socket and your car is full by the next morning. If you want to quickly charge your car you can make use of the rapid charger situated at the Grove mall.
Namibia does not yet have a network of rapid chargers between towns which means these cars are currently city cars, until the private sector starts building out their charging networks.
A common concern with EVs is what happens to its battery when it has reached its end of life. Currently in Namibia when Nissan Leaf EVs get a new battery pack, the old batteries are used for solar power storage, which reduces the demand for new solar system battery packs.
EVs would also aid Namibia in becoming more self-reliant, as we would no longer be dependent on the continuous importation of fuel from foreign countries. The electricity required to power 96,500EVs would work out to an extra 165GWh each year. This sounds like a lot of power, but Namibia currently consumes 3,983GWh each year.
In 2022 10,923 cars were sold in Namibia, so it is going to take a while for the 96,500EVs to get onto Namibian roads. This means that although there is a slim chance that the goal will be reached, the grid would have ample time to adapt to the extra demand.
To replace 96,500 petrol cars with EVs by 2025 Namibia needs to take decisive action in both the governmental and private sector to increase EVs uptake. One of the big governmental policy changes that would be required to promote EVs is eliminating all import duties and VAT on EVs and EV charging equipment, thereby making EVs affordable to everyone. Whilst the private sector will play a vital role in rolling out a unified charging network across Namibia which would allow long distance travel with EVs.
*Sybrand de Waal is a 1st year student at Stellenbosch University and an electric vehicle enthusiast. He has written the two studies that spurred the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) into writing their study and is actively involved in promoting EVs in Namibia. He can be contacted at sybrand2004@gmail.com
