In the latest episode of the podcast Watts & Wheels with Wills, host William Kelly hosted Greg Cress, who is the head of the automotive and e-mobility industry department at Accenture South Africa, and Gary Scott from Scottify in the studio. Both guests are among the most experienced participants in the South African electric vehicle market and have jointly prepared a guide to buying and owning an electric vehicle.
The guide was created in response to constant basic questions arising from consumers, such as defining kilowatt-hour, as well as questions about charging locations and connector compatibility. After a long period of accustomed refueling at petrol stations, owners now have to think about the charging process. The experts' advice is to simplify the mathematics associated with operating such vehicles.
The guests argue that concerns regarding cost and batteries are largely unfounded. They note that using public fast chargers costs approximately 60% of gasoline operating expenses, while home charging costs closer to 25%, and even less when using solar energy. Furthermore, early Tesla models demonstrate a range of up to 560,000 km while maintaining battery health at 85–88%, and no manufacturer offers a battery warranty shorter than eight years. Battery chemistry is rapidly evolving, including the transition from cheaper lithium-iron-phosphate cells to increasingly popular sodium-ion batteries.
According to the pair of experts, South Africa is approaching a critical point. The global oil crisis has brought electric vehicles into the main conversation, while simultaneously clearing the dealers' inventory. Official data underestimates this shift: the industry association Naamsa counted only 1,088 battery electric vehicle sales in 2025, but this figure does not include Chinese brands such as BYD, which do not report locally. Meanwhile, sales almost doubled in the first quarter of 2026.
According to the guests' estimates, if undisclosed brands are included, about 500 electric vehicles are sold monthly, and Cress forecasts reaching this number at 6,000 within a year. This real turning point, accounting for 5% of total new car sales, will require 2,000 sales per month, with the main focus on the segment priced under 400,000 rand, as two-thirds of car purchases in South Africa are made here. The advice for potential buyers is to first understand the reason for their interest in the market before succumbing to the allure of technology, and most importantly, to test drive the vehicle. As Kelly noted: if you haven't driven an electric vehicle, don't say they are terrible.
According to Crisil Ratings, the two-wheeler segment presents more significant challenges for Delhi's recently approved electric vehicle policy. This policy mandates a ban on registering vehicles with traditional engines starting from April 2028, yet the share of electric two-wheelers in Delhi in the fiscal year 2026 was only 7.3 percent.
Punam Upadhyay, Director at Crisil Ratings, told PTI that the requirement to register only electric vehicles from April 2028 provides a clear roadmap for accelerating investments in electric products, infrastructure, and distribution within the two-wheeler transport industry. Nevertheless, in the short term, internal combustion engine (ICE) models are expected to remain relevant.
Upadhyay noted that the future growth of the two-wheeler market in Delhi will increasingly depend on the readiness to adopt electric vehicles. She emphasized that the impact on ICE manufacturers will vary across different segments, and the transition in the two-wheeler segment is expected to be gradual, given that electric vehicles accounted for only 7.3 percent of registrations in Delhi in FY 2026.
Elaborating on the situation, she added that despite a roughly 25 percent increase in two-wheeler registrations to 5.7 lakh units in FY 2026, the penetration of electric vehicles remained at 7.3 percent. Under the policy draft, all new two-wheeler registrations must be electric starting from April 2028. This will be supported by incentives of up to ₹30,000 per vehicle in the first year, which will gradually decrease over the next two years.
Although the policy includes scrappage benefits and tax exemptions, Upadhyay warned that as financial support decreases, price competitiveness and total cost of ownership will become increasingly important factors in sustaining demand for electric vehicles.
In contrast to the two-wheeler segment, the evolution for passenger cars is proceeding more steadily. The policy does not mandate only electric vehicle registration for private cars; instead, it relies on incentives to encourage their adoption.
Upadhyay concluded that in the medium term, ICE vehicles are likely to remain in demand, and the pace of electrification will be determined by factors such as vehicle cost, charging convenience, and model availability.
In FY 2026, approximately 2 lakh four-wheelers were registered in Delhi, including nearly 77,000 electric vehicles (representing 39 percent penetration) and about 52,000 hybrids. Under the policy, all passenger electric vehicles priced up to ₹30 lakh at the national capital showroom receive a 100 percent exemption from road tax and registration fees.
Upadhyay also pointed out that among vehicle segments, three-wheelers face the earliest transition, as the mandatory electric vehicle registration is scheduled for January 1, 2027. However, the success of this transition will depend on sufficient vehicle supply, access to financing, as well as charging and battery replacement infrastructure. In FY 2026, electric vehicles constituted almost two-thirds of the 55,700 registrations of all three-wheelers.
Overall, the Delhi EV policy represents one of the most ambitious state-level initiatives in India aimed at accelerating electric mobility through a combination of registration mandates, targeted fiscal incentives, and a clear preference for clean EVs over hybrids.
