Is BYD Is Already Winning the EV Competition in Africa?
BYD has already expanded to multiple African countries, including Egypt and Rwanda
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The Electric Vehicle competition is on the rise. Globally, Tesla dominates but Build Your Dreams (BYD), the popular Chinese EV maker has been giving Telsa a run for its money.
In 2024, BYD car sales (including EVs and Hybrids) reached 4.3 million.
BYD is slowly building and expanding in Africa
BYD has been making strategic moves and investments in the African region. It has already moved into Rwanda, Egypt, and Mauritius.
In June 2024, BYD signed an MOU with Ampersand, an EV bike maker, to sell its battery technology to the company.
In September 2024, BYD partnered with a Zambian firm to sell its car models in the country
BYD held talks with the South African government for more investments in the country
The company is also working with EV bus maker Basi Go in Kenya
EV Charging Still Has a Way to Go
Although there is growing interest in EVs in Africa, the challenges of EV charging infrastructure still exist.
Countries like Ghana have about 4-5 public charging stations for EVs
Ethiopia has about 10 public charging stations even though they hope to increase their number of EVs has grown to about 100,000
If EVs need to grow and get adopted in Africa, charging infrastructure needs to keep up with the influx of EVs.
Is Telsa Ready to Make a Move in Africa in 2025?
Tesla has been making moves and investments in Asia and Europe, but it hasn’t made much ground in Africa.
South Africa has reportedly been having talks with Tesla CEO Elon Musk to establish a battery production facility in the country.
But with no immediate plans on the horizon for establishment of car manufacturing or direct car sales, BYD could gain more market share in the interim before Telsa can get started.
What Happens Next
As the Trump administration focuses on tariffs, targeting products shipped from China to the US, there is an opportunity for BYD to focus on Europe and Africa, especially as African governments start to focus on transitioning to EVs.
Some countries like Ghana still have challenges when it comes to public charging infrastructure, but this won’t deter early adopters from purchasing EV vehicles.
Chinese companies with cheap models like BYD are more likely to be looked at by prospective buyers.