Ford boss says SA needs EV policy within six months

The Africa head of Ford said the South African government must deliver policy certainty on electric vehicles (EVs) within six months to save its automotive industry.

Three-quarters of cars produced by SA’s auto industry, which accounts for 5% of GDP and more than 100,000 jobs, are exported, mostly to Europe.

But with Britain planning to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and the EU in 2035, the local industry risks losing thousands of jobs and billions in revenue in the absence of a government plan for EVs.

“We need policy certainty, literally, within the next six-month period,” Neale Hill, president of Ford Motor Company in Africa, told Reuters in an interview on Friday.

SA’s trade and industry ministry has not given a timeline for an EV policy but told Reuters in August “the government is seeking ways and means to address the electric vehicle matter to deal with the country's economic and environmental issues”.

The ministry was not immediately available for comment.

The government issued an Automotive Masterplan in 2018 to help local makers achieve 1% of global production, increase the use of local materials to 60% from 39% and raise employment, among other objectives. It did not include any policy on EVs.

Hill, who is also the president of SA carmakers’ lobby Naamsa, said auto companies wanted the government to clarify what parts of the master plan are still up for support.

Ford in March boosted its spending on electric vehicles to $50bn through 2026 as the Dearborn, Michigan-based company tries to catch up with Germany’s Volkswagen and industry leader Tesla.

A carmaker takes about four years for an investment decision to convert into an actual funding in a factory, Hill said, adding globally auto companies were making such decisions and SA was not featuring in them.

“I’m concerned that (the South African) government’s delays and lethargy on this is going to end up costing us having a seat at the table,” he said.

Reuters