South Africa’s first electric minibus taxi, the eKamva, has been unveiled by a consortium led by GoMetro at the Smarter Mobility Africa summit.
Along with the vehicle, the consortium introduced a new integrated electric vehicle (EV) business model and a charging infrastructure product called flx EV. The partnership, which includes companies and research institutions, aims to revolutionize the country’s transport sector.
The 15-seater eKamva has a range of more than 200km between charges, fast charges within 75 minutes via a 60kW DC charger and slow charges overnight for 10 hours. It delivers an estimated 40-70% cost savings over traditional vehicles on running costs, depending on the fuel price (inland vs coastal) and distance of the taxi route in question.
Initiated in 2023, this collaboration sought to explore the feasibility of electric minibus taxis in South Africa by conducting real-world tests with production vehicles.
The project team, which includes GoMetro, Powerfleet (formerly MiX Telematics), HSW, ACDC Dynamics, and researchers from Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Engineering, tested the electric vehicles extensively on existing taxi routes in and around Stellenbosch, using traditional minibus taxis as a benchmark.
Despite a temporary dip in fuel prices, commuters continue to face rising transport costs, with many spending up to 40% of their income on transportation.
The minibus taxi industry, which transports millions of passengers daily across Southern Africa, is still grappling with the effects of the pandemic and competition from ride-share services. In South Africa, these taxis emit around 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and consume approximately two billion tonnes of fuel.
To support the transition to electric, the flx EV website will soon allow taxi owners and operators to join a waiting list for the new solution. flx EV is also developing charging hubs across South Africa, with the first planned for Century City and Stellenbosch in the coming year.
Through the flx EV app, taxi owners will be able to manage their fleets, monitor vehicle statuses, and prepay for recharges, while drivers will receive guidance to the nearest charging hub.
GoMetro CEO Justin Coetzee says, “This is a new approach to electrifying the smaller-vehicle public transport industry. We believe it will spark an entirely new economic sector and is socio-economically very important for the automotive sector.”
Historical data gathered by GoMetro indicates that replacing urban taxi and shuttle fleets with eKamvas will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 13.7 tonnes per vehicle per annum, says project lead Rudi Kriel.
“Most taxis spend up to three hours a day between morning and evening peak hours at the ranks we have analysed, more than sufficient time to fast-charge an eKwamva,” Kriel says.
“EVs have fewer breakdowns than internal combustion vehicles, and are cheaper to run, which leads to increased profitability per vehicle – and they have a longer life expectancy,” he continues. “EVs also reduce nitrous oxides, sulphur oxides and particulate matter (known as PM2.5 particles) in the air, improving community health, a major cost factor for the government.”
GoMetro, originally founded in South Africa and now based in the UK, is actively involved in the electrification of buses and trucks across the UK and Europe. Recognizing that effective vehicle electrification relies on robust data management, the company has invested in a top-tier, OEM-agnostic electrification management platform tailored for bus and truck operators. This positions GoMetro as a leader in driving decarbonization within a challenging sector to reduce emissions.
