South Africa’s getting VW’s electric vehicles at long last — on a trial basis, at least for now. This makes SA the second country in Africa to receive Volkswagen’s line of electric vehicles after their implementation in Rwanda in 2019. The e-Golf pilot project marks Volkswagen’s first step towards full-scale electric mobility in South Africa.
I’m sure you’re aware at this point but the planet is currently on fire and all our cars… really aren’t helping much. With the motoring industry making pushes into electric powered vehicles around the world, it’s about time we started pulling our weight here in South Africa. Fortunately Volkswagen has our backs as they’ve just announced their latest initiative, the E-Golf Pilot Project.
Through the involvement of selected Volkswagen dealers in Gauteng and Western Cape, the electric powered e-Golf will be used as shuttles and courtesy cars for customers to help raise awareness and educate people on the usefulness and efficiency of electric cars.
“At Volkswagen, we want to democratise electric mobility and that is why the e-Golf pilot project is a key initiative for the brand. With the help of our dealers, we want to get as many South Africans as possible to drive and experience an electric vehicle as this is the future of our brand,” said Mike Glendinning, Sales and Marketing Director for Volkswagen Group South Africa.
The e-Golf pilot project will use charging stations erected in Volkswagen’s Uitenhage manufacturing plant to make sure the cars are fit and ready to drive at all times. While the 3-Golf will not be commercially available in South Africa, phase three of the project will see the first fully electric Volkswagen cars available for sale to consumers in South Africa starting in 2022.
