Promoting electric mobility in Cabo Verde
Project description
Title: Promotion of Electric Mobility in Cabo Verde
Commissioned by: NAMA Facility
Country: Cabo Verde
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Energy (MICE)
Overall term: 2020 to 2025
Context
The Government of Cabo Verde has set itself the goal of replacing the country's entire vehicle fleet with electric vehicles by 2050. Locally generated electricity from renewable energy sources is to replace imported fossil fuels in road transport. In this way, the Government aims to relieve the pressure on its trade balance while at the same time reducing air pollution, noise and greenhouse gas emissions.
However, electric vehicles are still substantially more expensive than conventional vehicles, and the country also lacks expertise for promoting and using electric vehicles. The responsible energy ministry (MICE) has therefore joined forces with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and successfully applied for funding from the NAMA Facility to promote the use of electric vehicles. The NAMA Facility is an international climate financing programme that supports ambitious measures to combat climate change.
Objective
The Government of Cabo Verde is successfully implementing its strategy to promote electric mobility.
Approach
The project offers financial incentives to encourage the acquisition of electric vehicles and the development of a public charging infrastructure. In addition, it is helping to improve the legal framework, raise awareness of electric mobility and strengthen the relevant stakeholders.
One core component of the project entails introducing a rebate on purchases of electric vehicles. Moreover, the project is supporting MICE, based on a public invitation to tender, in selecting one or more investors to set up a network of public charging stations, for which they will receive financial support from the project. In order to make this possible, the legal basis for operating public charging stations is being established. In addition, further laws and regulations are being adapted to enable the sustainable use of electric vehicles.
In the country's two largest cities, the project is supporting the public transport companies in testing electric buses. An awareness-raising campaign is informing people about the advantages of electric vehicles and increasing the population’s willingness to adopt electric vehicles. Moreover, the project is providing further training for car mechanics and vocational school teachers so that the electric vehicles can be properly maintained at local repair shops. With a view to calculating the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions that can be avoided through electric vehicles, the project is supporting the relevant offices in collecting and analysing the necessary data.
Results
Already during the preparatory phase, the project has played a key role in ensuring that electric vehicles can be imported in Cabo Verde duty-free since 2019. Since 2020, this has also been the case for charging stations and charging cables for electric vehicles.