In most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, private operators of small buses, usually carrying 16 to 25 passengers and in some cases up to 35 passengers, are the main providers of commuting. These minibuses usually run on informal schedules and sometimes their routes are not fixed either. These ubiquitous private minibus taxis in sub-Saharan Africa carry more than 70% of daily commuters. In Kenya they are popularly known as Matatus, in Zimbabwe they are called Emergency Taxis (ETs) or Kombis and in South Africa they are known as Taxis.
With fuel prices hitting historic highs, operators and commuters alike are beginning to feel the pinch of rising transportation rates. The typical South African commuter already spends up to 40% of their income on transport and the minibus taxi sector is still grappling with the impact of the past two years on their operations.
A project team of companies and research institutions has formed a research partnership to explore and advance the feasibility of electric minibus taxis in South African conditions by testing production vehicles in South Africa by 2023. One of the leading partners, GoMetro, a global mobility management technology company headquartered in Cape Town, has been collecting data on taxi operations across South Africa for the past 5 years. Armed with all this data, GoMetro has assembled a project team of innovative companies and researchers to launch a demonstration project to test the first minibus in South African conditions by January 2023 to promote the development of e-mobility locally.
The project team, consisting of GoMetro, MiX Telematics, HSW, ACDC Dynamics and various entities within the Faculty of Engineering at Stellenbosch University, will conduct rigorous and extensive testing in and around the city of Stellenbosch, as well as the electrification of the minibus taxi sector firmly on the national agenda through an educational roadshow in all nine provinces through 2023. GoMetro’s end-to-end public transit technology and planning solutions help governments, transportation authorities, county councils, carriers and transportation consultants.
A number of viable models of electric minibus taxis from various markets have been identified, the first of which will be on South African coasts by the end of the year. The acceptance and usability of the model will be extensively tested with taxi owners and drivers to identify the use cases and circumstances in which an electric taxi would make the most sense.
“Taxi drivers and owners are very interested and intrigued by the idea of an electric minibus taxi and are constantly asking us when the first electric minibus taxi will arrive on our coast,” said Justin Coetzee, CEO of GoMetro. “We have built valuable relationships with a large number of taxi associations and the ever-rising fuel price is a major concern for owners, drivers and drivers as no lights appear in sight. The industry has long recognized that ‘business as usual’ will not suffice – and that change is needed, especially after the effects of COVID-19.”
The aim of testing different models in the coming months is to determine which vehicle is most suitable for the South African public transport sector and which spectrum of activities is conducive to the range of the vehicles. In addition to testing the vehicle itself, the project team, together with the automotive sector and policymakers, aims to stimulate proactive consultation with governments on reducing excise taxes and promoting the adoption of electric vehicles in the transport sector.
“As MiX Telematics is at the forefront of innovation and the use of new technologies to improve fleet operations and efficiency, we are very excited to be part of this groundbreaking initiative. We have seen the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles grow exponentially in Europe, so we look forward to learning how we can support these solutions in the South African context,” said Catherine Lewis, Executive VP of Technology at MiX Telematics . MiX Telematics is a global provider of fleet and mobile asset management solutions delivered as SaaS to 815,200 global subscribers in more than 120 countries. The company’s products and services provide enterprise fleets, small fleets and consumer solutions for efficiency, safety, compliance and security.
Professor Thinus Booysen, Internet of Things research chair at Stellenbosch University, will lead the team of testing experts. “The informal taxi sector needs to transform towards electric cars, but little is known about their energy needs. This unknown is overshadowed by our energy scarcity and our dependence on coal on the electricity supply side. This collaborative project ensures that we are prepared for and carefully handle this exciting transition,” says Booysen. The electric minibus taxi is on display on the Stellenbosch University campus.
According to Dr. Bernard Bekker, Associate Director of the Center for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES) at Stellenbosch University, the future electrification of the transport sector in South Africa raises significant technical and regulatory challenges related to the integration of electric transport in our existing network infrastructure. These challenges are in many ways unique to South Africa, where minibus taxis may represent a much larger proportion of the future electric fleet than, say, Europe or the US.
“The availability of a true electric minibus taxi to inform our research activities will be very valuable input to address these challenges.” The Center for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES) at Stellenbosch University is enabling a sustainable future for Africa through world-class renewable and sustainable energy research, consultancy services, awareness campaigns and training programs. It was established in 2007 to facilitate and encourage world-class renewable energy studies and research activities at Stellenbosch University.
“The minibus taxi is ubiquitous in the South African landscape, transporting millions of people over the years and helping to get South Africa to work – unfortunately in an environmentally unsustainable way. ACDC Dynamics is proud to be part of the change this industry will bring as it uses electric/battery powered taxis thanks to our capabilities to deliver battery charging networks across the country,” said Mario Maio, Founder and CEO of ACDC Dynamics . Green energy and energy storage solutions have been used by South African industries for the past 30 years.
“HSW is passionate about bringing production locally. The Western Cape has all the technical skills and resources to set up production facilities to support such an initiative. There are already existing electronic manufacturers with world-class capabilities in electronic product manufacturing, such as Barracuda Holdings, one of HSW’s key customers, proving that this kind of hi-tech manufacturing technology is already available locally,” said Ryan Webb, Managing Member HSW.
Electric vehicles are being heralded as a panacea to decarbonise the global transportation sector. Developing low-carbon urban transport is part of the global agenda to slow down climate change and is linked to many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. While electric vehicle sales in the global north have risen significantly and many global automakers plan to phase out combustion engine production as early as 2030, the transition to electric vehicles in sub-Saharan Africa continues to be extremely slow. This research project aims to accelerate this transition to cleaner and greener mobility.
Images Courtesy of GoMetro
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