SA to incentivise local EV production

SA will spend R1bn to support the local production of new-energy vehicles and batteries, as well as related manufacturing projects, the National Treasury said on Wednesday.

The country is the largest automotive manufacturing hub in Sub-Saharan Africa hosting brands such as Toyota, Ford, Isuzu, Volkswagen and Mercedes.

The industry has said government incentives and policy interventions will encourage original equipment manufacturers to invest more in the production of electric vehicles in the country.

SA released its Electric Vehicles White Paper in 2023, which outlined a strategy to shift the automotive industry from primarily producing internal combustion engine vehicles to a mix that includes electric vehicles by 2035.

In its annual budget review, the Treasury said the department of trade & industry, in partnership with the department of mineral resources & energy, planned to approve and implement a regional critical minerals strategy, though it did not give a timeline.

Critical minerals such as copper, cobalt and lithium are needed to make products such electric vehicle batteries and solar panels and are crucial to the world’s energy transition.

The Treasury said R1bn was being set aside over the medium term for the industrial development support programme, an incentive scheme that aims to increase participation and investment in infrastructure by firms in selected manufacturing sectors such as automotive.

“The purpose of the incentive is to enhance the local production and assembly of new-energy vehicles, batteries and projects focused on operational efficiency and competitiveness in new manufacturing projects,” it added.

The incentive is expected to attract R30bn in investment from the private sector, it said.

Reuters