Kenya vs. South Africa: The Tale of Two EV Giants

The Introduction

Who is winning the race to electrify Africa? If you look at the factories, it’s South Africa. If you look at the streets, it’s Kenya.

A new 2025 year-end report by WeeTracker has laid bare the diverging paths of the continent's two biggest economies. It is a classic case of Industrial Might vs. Agile Innovation.

South Africa: The Factory of the Continent

South Africa remains the undisputed king of automotive manufacturing.

• The Output: In 2025, factories in Pretoria and Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) churned out thousands of electric vehicles (EVs) for BMW, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz.
• The Irony: Almost all of them were exported to Europe.
• The Problem: You cannot drive an electric car if you cannot charge it. With Eskom’s load shedding still a reality in 2026, owning an EV in Johannesburg is a logistical nightmare. The domestic market is dead because the grid is broken.

Kenya: The Silicon Savannah’s Green Revolution

Kenya has taken a different approach. They don't build luxury cars; they build what people actually use.

• The Fleet: Nairobi is now home to the highest density of electric buses and 2-wheelers in Africa. Startups like Spiro, Roam, and BasiGo have deployed thousands of units.
• The Secret Weapon: Geothermal Energy. Kenya’s grid is over 90% renewable. This means charging an EV is cheap, stable, and truly green.
• The Policy: The Kenyan government slashed import duties on electric motorbike parts, creating a booming local assembly sector.

The Nigeria Factor

Where is the Giant of Africa in this story? Nowhere.

Despite the removal of fuel subsidies pushing petrol to N1,200/liter—a price that should drive people to EVs—Nigeria lags behind.

• The Barrier: The lack of a unified policy and the high cost of charging infrastructure (which requires running diesel generators) has made EVs a luxury toy rather than a mass-market solution.

The 2026 Outlook

The report predicts that Kenya will become the "Norway of Africa"—the first country to reach mass adoption. Meanwhile, South Africa will remain the "Germany"—building the cars for everyone else but struggling to use them at home.