The Electric Mobility Shift: Energy Realities And The Industrial Imperative For Africa (Article)

Global demand for electric mobility has reached unprecedented levels. According to the IEA Global EV Outlook 2026, global electric car sales grew by 20% in 2025, exceeding 20 million units. This milestone means that 25% of all new cars sold worldwide were electric.

Demand is highly concentrated but rapidly expanding into emerging markets:

On the supply side, the market is heavily dominated by Asian manufacturing. In 2025, Chinese automakers supplied 60% of global electric car sales. European and North American automakers trailed significantly, each responsible for approximately 15% of global sales.

The trajectory for EV adoption points toward exponential growth, fundamentally altering global energy consumption patterns. Under current stated policies, the IEA projects that global EV electricity demand could exceed 1,500 Terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2035, a massive leap from the approximately 180 TWh consumed in 2024.

However, it is crucial to put this growth in context. Because battery electric vehicles (BEVs) use about 70% less energy per kilometre than gasoline internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, this 1,500 TWh will account for only about 4% of global final electricity demand in 2035. EV efficiency means the transition is highly energy-efficient, provided the underlying grid infrastructure can handle the localized load.

Effects on Energy Usage and Infrastructure

The most profound impact of the EV revolution is the shift from the petroleum supply chain (crude oil, refining, and filling stations) to the electricity value chain (generation, transmission, distribution, and charging stations). EVs are not simply vehicles; they are mobile electricity consumers.

Globally, the infrastructure is racing to catch up. By the end of 2025, private light-duty vehicle (LDV) charging points reached over 43 million supporting a stock of around 76 million electric LDVs. Public charging infrastructure also expanded rapidly, exceeding 7 million points globally, though it remains geographically skewed with China hosting over 65% of installations.

This shift introduces new systemic requirements. The charging station is becoming the new filling station, directly connected to the grid. This requires major upgrades to distribution transformers and transmission capacity along with smart charging. Smart charging allows EV demand to be shifted away from peak periods, transforming vehicles from mere consumers into flexible assets that can stabilize the electricity system.

Building a national charging network and upgrading grid capacity requires substantial capital. Promoting EV adoption without strengthening the electricity distribution system carries severe risks: localized network congestion, overloaded transformers and frequent outages.

Africa is at a critical juncture. For instance, Ghana launched its National Electric Vehicle Policy in 2023, outlining a preparatory phase (2024–2026) followed by accelerated uptake (2027–2035). The Energy Commission’s 2025 outlook projected a system peak demand of 4,125 MW and consumption of 25,836 GWh. Introducing thousands of EVs will add a significant new layer of demand.

The structural risk for African economies is adopting a transition framework that installs new renewable capacity or imports EVs without addressing existing grid infrastructure, revenue recovery architectures and tariff regimes.

If African countries merely import electric cars, they become passive consumers of the transition, replacing dependence on imported petroleum with dependence on imported EVs and batteries. The goal must be an electricity-powered mobility economy. This includes developing local capabilities in vehicle and battery assembly, charging equipment manufacturing, software diagnostics and battery recycling.

The progressive replacement of ICE vehicles with EVs will inevitably alter the petroleum economy. While petroleum will remain essential for aviation, shipping, and heavy industry, demand for road transport fuels will face a structural decline.

For African nations heavily reliant on petroleum, the implications are vast:

The appropriate response is preparation, not resistance. OMCs must diversify into energy services, turning traditional filling stations into integrated mobility hubs that offer fast charging, solar-backed battery storage, and retail services.

The global EV revolution is fundamentally an energy and industrial transition. For Ghana and the wider African continent, the success of this transition will not be measured by the number of EVs imported, but by the resilience of the infrastructure built to support them.

Policymakers must adopt an integrated approach: EV Policy + Generation Planning + Transmission/Distribution Investment + Tariff Reform.

Furthermore, leveraging existing policies and frameworks requires institutional discipline to ensure that international capital inflows translate into genuine technology transfer and local industrial capacity. Only then can Africa move from being a site of green energy deployment to a hub of green industrial production.