Rubicon aims to more than double its charging network by the end of 2024

Technology group Rubicon aims to expand its electric vehicle (EV) charging network from the current 90 chargers to more than 250 by the end of next year, says e-mobility director Greg Blandford.... 

Serco’s Gauteng premises now fully solar powered

Truck and trailer body-building company Serco is now fully powered by solar energy at its Boksburg facility in Gauteng. The installation consists of a 150 kW hybrid solar system with 370 x 405 W... 

Hino to take multiple pathways to develop cleaner trucks

Truck and bus manufacturer Hino Motors says it will follow its parent company, Toyota Motor Corporation, in championing multiple powertrains as it aims for carbon neutrality by 2050.  The strategy... 

Transnet expects 175 vessel calls as cruise liner season opens

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) says it expects 175 vessel calls at South African port cities in the 2023/24 cruise liner season, which opened earlier this month. The vessels are expected... 

Stellantis to launch Strada half-tonner in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding S Africa

Stellantis has announced that it will launch the Fiat Strada half-ton bakkie in left-hand-drive markets in sub-Saharan Africa, starting this month. This excludes South Africa, where the Strada was... 

Port of Cape Town agricultural exports heading for a crisis, warns Western Cape govt

The Western Cape is heading for an export crisis at the end of the year, warns Western Cape Finance and Economic Opportunities Minister Mireille Wenger. “With the good rains we have experienced,... 

Webfleet report shows jump in collisions involving trucks

The 2023 Webfleet Road Safety Report shows a jump in collisions involving trucks this year, at 1 313 incidents, compared with 1 252 collisions in 2022. The survey for the report was conducted... 

Contractors urge dialogue as 88 companies faced liquidation last year

Contract changes within the construction industry and conditions that are slashing margins are becoming a growing threat to contractors, “contributing to the downward spiral of the construction... 

naamsa disappointed at yet another delay in NEV policy announcement

naamsa | The Automotive Business Council says it is disappointed that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has postponed the long-awaited announcement on government’s new-energy vehicle (NEV) policy... 

China’s cheaper EVs are challenging Western market dominance – JATO report

A divide in the global transition to electric vehicles (EVs) has emerged as Chinese manufacturers seem to be rushing ahead of their Western counterparts in the production and sale of EVs.  This is... 

South Africa should not be ‘pushed into a corner’ on energy funding, say SANEDI and Eskom

While any funding of South Africa’s embattled energy sector is welcome, South Africa should not “be pushed into a corner” on how this money should be spent, said South African National Energy... 

New Hyundai boss expects negative 2023 as consumers battle tide of bad news

Newly appointed Hyundai Automotive South Africa (HASA) CEO Gideon Jansen van Rensburg steps into his new role at a challenging time. Not only is the domestic passenger-car market cooling, but the... 

Energy crisis being addressed, but implementation is slow, admits DMRE DG

One of the biggest positive developments over the last 12 months has been the “convergence of ideas on what we need to do to resolve the energy crisis”, said Department of Mineral Resources and... 

New-vehicle sales continue to drop, truck sales jump as rail system falters

Total new-vehicle sales in October dropped by 2%, to 45 445 units, compared with the same month last year, reports naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. This was the third consecutive month of... 

SA shark-barrier tech scores first commercial installation

The eco-friendly SharkSafe Barrier technology, developed by marine biologists at Stellenbosch University (SU) and their collaborators, and manufactured in the Western Cape, has been installed at a... 

Avis launches iLease as an alternative to vehicle ownership

Avis Fleet has introduced iLease, the company’s first leasing product, in South Africa. iLease allows consumers the use of a vehicle for any duration between 12 and 48 months, as an alternative to... 

European Space Agency cofunds autonomous shipping project

A project that seeks to guarantee uninterrupted data connectivity at sea should be able to boost the shipping industry’s ability to deploy safe and accurate autonomous shipping technology.... 

Transnet Ports to weigh interest in small- to medium-scale LNG imports

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has published an expression of interest (EoI) document to determine market appetite for small- to medium-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports through... 

EV buyers survey notes increase in EV exposure, while high prices remain problematic

AutoTrader’s 2023 South Africa Electric Vehicle (EV) Buyers Survey shows that 63% of respondents believe they would purchase an EV within the next five years, down from 65% in 2022. Some marginally... 

Broad-based strain evident in the logistics sector, Ctrack index shows

The Ctrack Transport and Freight Index (CTFI) retreated further during August, to an index level of 118.8, the lowest since February, when it was at 116.7.  This represents a 1.5% decrease. It is... 

Association warns of looming spate of retrenchments at dealerships, retail stores

The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) says a number of dealerships and retail stores have announced their intent to restructure, which could lead to a spate of retrenchments in the automotive... 

Africa using only ‘very small’ percentage of its wind power potential, says GWEC

Africa is using less than 1% of its wind power potential, which is “very, very, very little”, says Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) Africa director Wangari Muchiri. A new report released at... 

Cape Town deploys new safety team at public transport facilities

Cape Town has added a Public Transport Facilities Safety Team to its Transport Enforcement Unit. The Western Cape Mobility Department is funding the new team as part of its safer public transport... 

Serco rolls out solar at Gauteng facility, Cape Town to follow at year-end

Truck and trailer body-building company Serco is now fully powered by solar energy at its Boksburg facility in Gauteng. The installation consists of a 150 kW hybrid solar system with 370 x 405 W... 

Rubicon signs partnership with Italy’s WeCo Batteries

South African solar and backup energy solutions provider Rubicon has announced a partnership with Italian energy storage business WeCo Batteries.  Under this partnership, Rubicon and WeCo Batteries... 

Scania introduces its Euro 6 V8 770S model to those seeking cleaner trucking 

Scania Southern Africa has launched its Euro 6 V8 770S truck in South Africa, in an effort to support breaking the link in the domestic market “between increasing transport demand and increased... 

September used-car sales down 9% from August numbers – AutoTrader

Domestic used-car sales generated R39.1-billion in the third quarter, this according to AutoTrader used-car sales data. However, for the first time in three months, September used-car sales went... 

Africa needs an energy transition that reflects its reality – Congo, South Sudan Ministers

Africa is largely transitioning "from nothing”, says South Sudan Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol. Speaking on Africa’s agenda for the forthcoming COP28 at the African Energy Week held in Cape... 

TotalEnergies hopeful Mozambican LNG project can restart next year

TotalEnergies is “hopeful” it will be possible to restart the $20-billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in northern Mozambique in early 2024, says TotalEnergies Gas, Renewables and Power... 

Ford to add plug-in hybrid to Ranger bakkie line-up in 2025

Ford will add a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to its Ranger bakkie line-up from early 2025. The source plant for the vehicle has not been confirmed yet, says Ford Motor Company of Southern... 

Govt taking too long to wrap up power projects – Ramokgopa

Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says he “laments” the time it takes government to go from issuing requests for proposals (RFPs) to announcing preferred bidder status and reaching... 

'Anchor demand' a must for renewables masterplan to succeed – Montmasson-Clair

The energy sector requires consistent demand from a consistent flow of renewable-energy projects in order to invest in local manufacturing, and not “haphazard demand that comes and goes”, says... 

Energy crisis being addressed, but implementation is slow, admits DMRE DG

One of the biggest positive developments over the last 12 months has been the “convergence of ideas on what we need to do to resolve the energy crisis”, says Department of Mineral Resources and... 

Mantashe seeks to extend the life of Eskom’s coal-fired power stations

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has called on the private sector to “please and come talk to us” if they have any ideas on extending the life of South Africa’s fleet of... 

South Africa should not be pushed into a corner on just energy transition funding – Eskom, SANEDI

While any funding of South Africa’s embattled energy sector is welcome, South Africa should not “be pushed into a corner” on how this money should be spent, says South African National Energy... 

ARM Geometallurgy Research Chair launched at Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch University (SU) has partnered with mining company African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) to establish the ARM Geometallurgy Research Chair.  The objective of the position is to advance... 

MAN to start local assembly of electric bus in 2024

MAN Truck & Bus has supplied Cape Town’s Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) with its first Lion’s Explorer E electric bus. While the bus boasts a locally made body, its chassis was fully imported. 

Sasol, Anglo American Platinum and BMW ink deal to test hydrogen cars in SA

Anglo American Platinum, BMW Group South Africa (BMW SA) and Sasol have partnered to prove that a hydrogen mobility ecosystem can operate successfully within South Africa. The three companies on... 

Tygerberg Hospital to be redeveloped in multibillion-rand PPP project

Requests for proposals (RFPs) to redevelop the Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town are expected to go out next year, says Western Cape government Department of Health and Wellness communication deputy... 

EVs are coming, but can SA’s power grid support this rapidly rising technology?

Whether South Africans like it or not, electric vehicles – EVs, those zero-emission vehicles that must be plugged in to run – are coming. You may adore the purr of a powerful V6 engine, but...