Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) says it has developed electric vehicle (EV) mobility framework as a foundation for comprehensive EV regulatory guidelines to be completed by March 2025.
The development means that despite introducing import duty waiver on EVs and their accesssories in the current fiscal year that ends on March 31 2025, the Malawi Government cannot regulate the usage of the vehicles, at least until next year.
In an e-mail response on Friday, Mera chief executive officer Henry Kachaje said the energy regulator has also developed technical requirements for EV charging stations as it hopes to fully regulate the sector in the first quarter of 2025.
He said three TotalEnergies Malawi charging stations have been approved and installed in Lilongwe after successful compliance monitoring by Mera through safety inspections of the e-motorcycle charging stations.
Said Kachaje: “However, the three charging points for e-motocycle within Lilongwe were commissioned and approved based on their compliance with general safety requirements.”
Ministry of Energy chief energy officer Austin Theu, in an earlier interview, said they are still working towards the formulation of regulatory guidelines in collaboration with other stakeholders.
“As of now, government is still working on the legal environment to come up with regulations that the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority would be using to regulate the sector,” he said.
On infrastructure to support the EVs such as charging equipment, Theu said the study, which the Ministry of Energy is conducting alongside partners such as the the World Bank, will determine issues such as standards and licences of charging facilities and infrastructure, among others.
He said EVs come with potable charging equipment, which enables charging either at home or offices using normal electricity.
Sky Energy Africa managing director Schizzo Thomson, whose firm is an EV start-up, said in an interview last week that the emerging sector could help reduce fuel import bills while contributing to the economy through a booming supply chain industry of charging infrastructure.
In October this year, Imperial Motors general manager Theodore Katandula, whose company launched its first electric vehicle GWM ORA, said they are ready to sustain supply, adding that when fully charged, the vehicle can cover 300 kilometres (km) .
“This is a saving to the current fuel prices because the full charge could cost K15 000, but if you convert 300km to fuel, it translates to a huge saving,” she said.
Blithe Construction Limited chief executve officer Patrick Khambadza, who bought an Ec3 model EV from Sky Energy worth K62 million, said in an earlier interview that using an EV has numerous benefits from environmental sustainability to cost-cutting.
“By switching to electric vehicles, we will significantly reduce our fuel and operational expenses while also contributing to a greener future. It is about making smart financial decision,” he said.
In July this year, TotalEnergies Malawi launched electric motorbike charging stations at Kanengo, Gateway and Capital Hill service stations in Lilongwe.
