Did you know South Africa manufactures its own electric vehicles (EVs)? Sure, it’s one little company working out of Stellenbosch going by the name MellowVans, but still. It’s cool. Even if the so-called MellowVans are just fancier-looking tuk-tuks with an electric motor that’ll only go 130km on a single charge.
What’s less cool is the company’s decision to partner with Itemate Solutions to “introduce an innovative mobile store solution tailored for telecommunications companies in Africa.” Essentially, MellowVans plans to partner with South African telcos – Telkom, MTN, etc. – to better help their sales through a ‘mobile storefront’.
Is mobile retail the best we could do with South African-made EVs?
This isn’t anything new. MellowVans has operated for years now, providing retailers and couriers like Takealot, Spar, DHL, SkyNet, and even Faithful to Nature with affordable, low-cost delivery solutions, simultaneously offsetting any sort of carbon emissions emitted by the more traditional fuel-based fleets out there. By MellowVans’ calculations, its EVs operate on a 15c/km cost, a major improvement over petrol prices.
“Our MellowVans have become a common sight in South Africa’s urban centres where brands take advantage of their low operating cost, easy maintenance, and extensive technology and data to enhance their last-mile delivery. Following a successful proof-of-concept with Telkom, we are now rolling out an adapted version of our vehicles tailored to the needs of African telcos,” said MellowVans CEO, Neil du Preez.
Now, it’s the telco industry’s turn to take a ride in MellowVan’s EVs, which were developed with the harsh African landscape in mind “in terms of their ruggedness and low-maintenance requirements.” They’ll also come fitted with a “custom” point-of-sale platform. In theory, telcos could “provide customer service, sign up new customers, complete RICA processes, sell airtime, and complete SIM card registrations,” while out in the middle of nowhere.
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That’s exactly what Telkom did after it unveiled its fleet of MellowVans EVs across Gauteng, KZN, and the Free State in December 2023. The deal served as a trial run for MellowVans, which saw an opportunity to get the other South African mobile operators on board. While it hasn’t exactly managed this feat yet, CEO Neil du Preez reckons the company has some plans brewing in the pipeline.
“We are currently in talks with telcos in several other African countries and will be focused on our production capacity to ensure we can meet the growing demand for MellowVans in other parts of the continent,” he said.
We’d be far more interested in a localised ride-hailing app like Uber – but on a much smaller scale. Since the EVs are limited by a relatively short 130km range on a single charge, they could present themselves as an excellent solution in busy city centres – similar to Bolt’s fuel-efficient goals with the minute ‘Qute’ vehicles you’ve seen out and about.