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Electric Vehicles and Electrification
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Decarbonizing Africa's Road Passenger Transport
Decarbonizing road passenger transport in Africa is key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Passenger vehicles are a major contributor to road transport emissions. Advances in battery technology, manufacturing, and supportive policies are driving battery electric vehicle (BEV) adoption, while synthetic fuels are also being explored as a complementary low-carbon option, notably by major automakers such as Volkswagen,” says a recent study published by Nature energy.
The Players Driving Africa's Decentralized Energy Revolution
Though renewable energy has moved from momentum to maturity across Africa, virtual free-wheeling remains rare. Virtual freewheeling is the transport of electricity across existing grids for financial transactions (selling power from one location to another via shared lines), explains Brian Molefe, former chief executive of South Africa’s Eskom (2015 to 2016). Eskom is the largest power utility on the continent.
Dirty Gears: in Diamond-rich Botswana, Asia’s old EVs Crank Pollution.
Countries like South Africa, a neighbor of Botswana, have sought to prevent the import of old cars from Japan, Europe, or the US, whether EVs or gasoline-powered vehicles. South Africa requires that old cars arriving from abroad, when in transit at its seaports, must not be driven on local roads; they must be transported by haulage trucks out of the country to frontier countries. It doesn’t really work, says Juru, because ‘the same old EVs and gasoline cars are smuggled back
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Featured Reports
Decarbonizing Africa's Road Passenger Transport
Decarbonizing road passenger transport in Africa is key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Passenger vehicles are a major contributor to road transport emissions. Advances in battery technology, manufacturing, and supportive policies are driving battery electric vehicle (BEV) adoption, while synthetic fuels are also being explored as a complementary low-carbon option, notably by major automakers such as Volkswagen,” says a recent study published by Nature energy.
Unlocking Africa’s Renewable Potential with Battery Storage
“Africa has long been perceived as a marginal solar market. The Africa Solar Outlook 2026 demonstrates that this perception no longer reflects reality. Solar is already far more widespread than previously believed, and Africa is now experiencing the fastest solar growth of any region worldwide.”
The Financiers and Startups Decarbonizing Africa’s ‘Anti-Fossil’ Fuel Nation
As the third-largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya has emerged as Africa’s leading example of anti-fossil-fuel leadership. With 90% of its grid powered by renewables, Kenya’s grid is more decarbonized than those of some wealthy European nations, where renewables account for about 63%.
Green Hydrogen in Tunisia: Ambitious Energy Strategy amidst Implementation Challenges
In the southern Tunisian city of Gabes, a green hydrogen project is in development, aiming to transform the local energy and economic landscape. However, this initiative faces objections from residents concerned about potential environmental risks, given Gabes’ history with polluting chemical industries.
Hurricane Melissa Shines Light on Jamaica's Energy Sector
Hurricane Melissa exposed the fragilities of Jamaica’s energy grid. When the hurricane hit on October 28, 2025, as a powerful category five storm, 540,000 customers, or 70% of Jamaicans on the island’s sole electricity grid, were left without power. Several transmission and distribution networks operated by the country’s only electricity provider, The Jamaica Public Service (JPS), were severely damaged.
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