Rising fuel prices have brought the conversation on the need for greener initiatives in the transport industry to the forefront. The way that people choose to travel and transport goods by road has a direct impact on whether future generations will inherit a more livable planet. Among those who are particularly focused on environmentally friendly approaches to the problem, electric vehicles are often discussed: they emit fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants than petrol or diesel cars. They are seen as a sustainable way forward.
Are there reasons for optimism? Plenty. The global electric car fleet grew to 10 million vehicles in 2020, up 43% from the previous year, according to the International Energy Agency. While sales of conventional vehicles slumped in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in Norway a record three of every four cars sold were electric. By 2025, BloombergNEF that electric vehicles will comprise 16% of all new passenger vehicle sales and 54 million electric cars will be moving on the world's roads.
There is an important opportunity here for countries like Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Most electric vehicle batteries are lithium based; their primary components are a mix of cobalt, manganese, nickel, and graphite and other primary components. Zambia, the DRC and other countries that produce copper could take advantage of this opportunity and start to manufacture batteries.
Renewable energy expert Blessing Gondwe is of the view that with the right policies in place to drive the agenda of electric vehicle battery manufacturing, Zambia can go a long way and invest in this climate-smart industry.
“Zambia needs to work on the policy framework as a matter of urgency to help in this particular sector and these policies must have a twofold benefit for both the investor and for the Zambian government. The policy framework must respond to whether the investor will have incentives, while government will have access to carbon credits due to minimal emissions from electric vehicles,” Gondwe explained.
He said Zambia could learn from South Africa, Uganda and a few other countries on the continent which have put policies in place to benefit from the electric vehicle revolution.
Investing in the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries could work well for Zambia as it produces cobalt which is one of the main requirements for the manufacture of these batteries.
Cobalt is a by-product of copper and most of the commodity globally comes from the belt which runs through the Central African Republic, the DRC, and Zambia.
Zambia is the second largest producer of copper on the African continent after the DRC which accounts for 70 percent of the continent’s total copper output.
So, can Zambia provide the rapidly growing demand for cobalt and copper? And, even more importantly, can the country use this opportunity to boost its failing economy?
There are currently only a few electric vehicle battery suppliers in Zambia. But they source these from Asian countries like China.
While the trade collaboration between Asian and African countries need to be enhanced because of the mutual relations between the two regions, and while China is equally a producer of copper, the added costs along the supply chain of electric vehicle batteries from that country to Zambia will certainly continue to push the cost to the end user.
Zambia has good reason to produce these batteries to allow for cheaper local acquisition by motorists, and also for the export market. It is well-positioned to do so: Zambia has more capacity than any other African country to refine cobalt on a large scale for use in battery manufacturing.
Kopo Mapila, a principal adviser for mining giant Rio Tinto, published an op-ed titled “Copper Can Save Zambia” on August 1, 2021 for Chatham House, in which he acknowledged that new technologies such as electric vehicles were driving demand for critical minerals such as nickel, lithium, cobalt, and copper.
According to the Zambia Chamber of Mines, 60% of the global supply for cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has a poor human rights track record and international organisations have denounced the Central African country for its exploitative labour practices around cobalt production.
In responding to what can be done to increase Zambia’s prospects of manufacturing electronic vehicle batteries, Zambia Chamber of Mines Chief Executive Officer Sokwani Chilembo noted that companies must be held accountable if they do not have policies that encourage the use of ethically sourced materials.
More than manufacturing will be required. Charging infrastructure is also vital to promote the use of electric vehicles. Technology is needed that uses new developments in hardware and is equipped with the digital applications necessary to make this infrastructure work.
Some companies on the African continent have already identified this gap and moved to fill it.
“Not since the invention of the wheel have our choices in road transportation mattered more for the welfare of future generations. In Africa we have had to play second fiddle and have a lot to catch,” said Professor Blessing Chitsenga, Group CEO at 12k Energy Group. The company is championing the rollout of electric vehicles and charging stations in southern Africa.
He said that motorists were interested in electric vehicles but were reluctant to commit without the necessary charging infrastructure: “It’s an egg and chicken scenario.”
The company is working to install charging stations it calls the 12k Charge BOXX.
About the author
Juliet Makwama is a research fellow at Afrasid. She is a trained journalist with experience in print and electronic journalism. She writes and reports on the convergence of electrification, transportation and e-mobility.