EVs pioneering drive innovation in Zimbabwe and setting tone for a greener future.

Text by Martin Chemhere

As the electric vehicle concept advances in Africa, on the back of innovation for a better life, the Zimbabwean market has just started to warm up to it, courtesy of a few players that are making headway.

BYD Zimbabwe (BYD), Zuva Energy Solutions, and Mobility For Africa (MFA) are some of the most active players in the Zimbabwean market. More players keep coming through as the green energy trend scales up.

BYD specialises in solar energy, economical electrified transportation, and dependable energy storage. Their latest models include the EM7, a solar and electric vehicle, as well as the EV7, an electric vehicle.

Committed to a sustainable future through electrification, the company aims to help Zimbabwe move from fossil fuel consumption to zeroemission battery electric vehicles.

The EV product line from BYD is extensive and includes trucks, vans, utility vehicles, buses, mini-busses, and passenger cars. Early this year, they supplied 18 EVs to the Zimbabwean government through Central Mechanical Equipment Department (CMED), thereby increasing the number of EVs in the country which stood at 30 registered in 2022. This development is a sign that Zimbabwe is stepping up the promotion and use of smart energy in line with international standards.

Of the total number of EVs bought by the government, the bulk are deployed with EasyGo Car Hire and Travel a private company wholly owned by CMED (Pvt) Ltd. The remainder is being used at the Robert Mugabe Airport as shuttle cars.

A few years back BYD Zimbabwe also unveiled in Zimbabwe, an electric van (commercial vehicle), the BYD T3 that runs 100% on electricity.

Zuva Energy Solutions recently signed a contract with Electric Vehicle Center Africa (EVCA) to create a network of electric vehicle charging stations in Harare.

There were also the women farmers in Domboshava, just outside Harare, who received 88 electric tricycles from the European Union (EU) as a way to transform rural livelihoods.

Mobility For Africa (MFA) provides renewable energy charged electric tricycles for rural communities to reduce distances and contribute to improved local economies. The tricycles are powered through community based off-grid energy supply. They recently signed a US$2 million agreement with InfraCo Africa, a Zimbabwean investment firm to deploy 400 electric vehicles across Zimbabwe’s rural areas.

The agreement will see solar powered vehicles, known as “hambas” (“go forward” in Ndebele language), being built in Harare for the local market. There will also be the production of 600 electric batteries and the installation of eight charging stations. This will aid the development of a sustainable transportation ecosystem to advance sustainable development, especially in areas underserved by the national power grid.

“MFA believes in shared transport solutions. We aim to support a circular economy, by creating jobs, enhancing current livelihoods, and improving mobility and productivity in a cooperative model,” said the MFA website.

It is encouraging to see Zimbabwe committing to working with clean energy solutions for the transport sector and also to move the country towards climate change mitigation. The country has caught up with the EVs drive innovation and its path toward a green ecosystem is bright!