The Department of Environmental Affairs’ Electric Vehicles Programme will be launched on 26 February, and is being hailed as a ground-breaking initiative for the local automobile market. Minister of the DEA, Edna Molewa, will officially launch the programme – known as DEA Green Cars – at Gerotek Test Facilities in Pretoria. This project is the viewed by the government as contributing to the reduction of environmentally harmful gases, through the promotion of the use of cleaner sources of fuel by the automotive industry.

A unique feature of DEA’s fleet of Zero Emission Electric Vehicles is that they are fully powered by solar energy, from a high-tech assembly of solar tracking panels (housed at the Department’s head office), rather than power from the national grid. The high tech solar panels powering the vehicles generate enough electricity to power the fleet and feed back into the national grid, further incentivising the move for other government departments and ordinary citizens to consider travelling green.

Economically, the programmeis also meant to ensure that South Africa keeps pace with the technological developments in automotive manufacturing. This initiative will simultaneously address other global concerns such as energy security, as oil wells are expected to dry up in the next 50 years.The DEA believes that a local transition to electric vehicles is one of the best solutions to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions, in line with the aims of the National Climate Change Response Policy; and ensure implementation of the resolutions of many climate change conferences.

South Africa seeks to provide an environment that encourages the domestic automotive industry to prepare for transition into alternative propulsions systems operation and production.This initiative is a multi-stakeholders partnership programme aimed at sustainability for many decades to come and it includes the following parties: Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Transport, Department of Energy, Science and Technology, South African Bureau of Standards, Nissan South Africa and other car makers, South African Revenue Service (SARS), Eskom, private sector and municipalities, among others.

Although the domestic electric vehicle industry is at its infancy stage and little is known about the electric vehicles, government will roll out an effective consumer education and awareness campaign to popularise the uptake of these automobiles.