Yokohama-based Nissan plans to introduce its e-Power hybrid technology car in Tunisia, its Africa head said on Tuesday, as part of plans to test demand in the African market for electric vehicles (EVs).
Africa is the world's last remaining automotive frontier due to the low level of vehicle ownership. According to Nissan, elsewhere in the world the global motorization average is 182 vehicles per 1,000 people versus 42 per 1,000 in Africa.
But, like in many countries globally, EVs are currently priced out of the reach of most domestic consumers, while some countries in Africa, including South Africa, struggle with power outages and logjams on railways and at ports, making it difficult for global executives to invest in EVs on the continent.