eKamva was launched by a partnership of companies and research institutions, led by GoMetro, a transport technology platform.

The partnership kicked off in 2023 to investigate and advance the feasibility of an electric minibus taxi in South African conditions by testing production vehicles in South Africa. The project team, consisting of GoMetro, Powerfleet (formerly MiX Telematics), HSW, ACDC Dynamics and various entities within Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Engineering, conducted rigorous and extensive testing in and around the town of Stellenbosch on existing taxi routes, using traditional minibus taxis.

Although the fuel price has momentarily come down, commuters still feel the pinch of increasing transport fares. Typical South African commuters already spend up to 40% of their income on transport. At the same time, the minibus taxi sector is still struggling from the impact of the pandemic and ride-share apps on their operations. Minibus taxis transport millions of people in Southern Africa daily, contributing an estimated 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in South Africa alone, and consume two billion tonnes of fuel a year.

The flx EV website will soon allow minibus taxi owners and operators to apply to be added to the waiting list for the solution. flx EV is in the process of developing charging hubs with partners across South Africa, with the first hubs slated for development in Century City and Stellenbosch in the next 12 months. The flx EV app will enable taxi owners to manage their fleets, see each vehicle’s status and prepay for recharging, while drivers will be directed to their closest charging hub.

GoMetro CEO Justin Coetzee says: “This is a new approach to electrifying the smaller-vehicle public transport industry. We believe it will spark an entirely new economic sector and is socio-economically very important for the automotive sector.”

Historical data gathered by GoMetro indicates that replacing urban taxi and shuttle fleets with eKamvas will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 13.7 tonnes per vehicle per annum, says project lead, Rudi Kriel.

“Most taxis spend up to three hours a day between morning and evening peak hours at the ranks we have analysed, more than sufficient time to fast-charge an eKwamva,” he says.

“EVs have fewer breakdowns than internal combustion vehicles and are cheaper to run, which lead to increased profitability per vehicle - and they have a longer life expectancy,” he continues. “EVs also reduce nitrous oxides, sulphur oxides and particulate matter in the air, improving community health, a major cost factor for the government.”

The 15-seater eKamva has a range of more than 200 km between charges, fast-charges within 75 minutes via a 60 kW DC charger and slow-charges overnight for 10 hours. It delivers an estimated 40-70% cost saving over traditional vehicles on running costs, depending on the fuel price (inland vs coastal) and the distance of the taxi route in question.

The eKamva (a play on the isiXhosa word ikamva, meaning “the future” or “into the future”) is currently undergoing homologation. A model of the vehicle is on display at flx EV’s stand at Smarter Mobility Africa, currently been held at the Gallagher Convention Centre.

Founded in SA and now UK-based, GoMetro is active in the electrification of buses and trucks in the UK and Europe and understands that electrifying vehicles takes excellent data management. It has invested in a best-in-class, OEM-agnostic electrification management platform for bus and truck operators, leading decarbonisation in a hard-to-decarbonise sector.

Professor Thinus Booysen, Research Chair on the Internet of Things at Stellenbosch University, leads the team of testing experts. “The informal taxi sector must transform to EVs, but little is known about their energy requirements. This unknown is overshadowed by our energy scarcity and coal dependence on the electricity supply side. This collaborative project will ensure we are prepared for and carefully manage this exciting transition,” says Thinus.

According to Dr Bernard Bekker, Associate Director of Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES), the future electrification of the transport section in South Africa raises significant technical and regulatory challenges related to integrating electric transport into our existing grid infrastructure.

“These challenges are in many ways unique to South Africa, where minibus taxis will potentially represent a much larger proportion of the future electrical fleet than for example Europe or the USA. “The availability of a real-life electric minibus taxi to inform our research activities will provide very valuable inputs into addressing these challenges,” he says.

“The minibus taxi has long been a cornerstone of South Africa's public transport system, reliably moving millions of people — from families to daily commuters — every day. As the demand for sustainability grows, it is clear that the transport industry must evolve. At ACDC Dynamics, we are proud to play a pivotal role in this transformation by providing EV-charging solutions and sustainable energy products," says Mario Maio, Founder and CEO of ACDC Dynamics.

“HSW is passionate about bringing manufacturing local. The Western Cape has all the technical skills and resources to set up manufacturing facilities in support of such an initiative. There are already existing electronic manufacturers who have world class capabilities in the manufacturing of electronic products, such as Barracuda Holdings, which is one of HSW’s key customers, as evidence that this type of hi-tech manufacturing technology is already available locally,” says Ryan Webb, Managing Member HSW.