The long-awaited Tesla entry into the African market may have become a reality as the leader in electric vehicles has deployed its first two Supercharger stations in Morocco.
African has been sidelined while Tesla expands production and sales to Asia and Europe, a situation that poor infrastructure is largely responsible for.
Electrek, which first reported development, noted that deployment of supercharger stations is generally the first step toward Tesla entering a new market. That’s why it’s interesting that Tesla is now opening its first Supercharger stations in Morocco and consequently, the first Supercharger stations in Africa.
It is not clear if the move involves opening a factory, but it sure shows that Tesla is moving toward registering its presence in Africa, which will boost the number of Tesla vehicles in the continent.
Africa is bedeviled by poor infrastructure that doesn’t support the electric vehicle market, which has kept it out of Tesla’s plan even as the automaker records an increase in production and sales globally.
Tesla produced a record-breaking 237,823 electric vehicles and delivered 241,300 in the third quarter of the year, beating expectations. But a few of this number made it to Africa.
Africa’s infrastructure deficit has hindered CEO Elon Musk’s dream to launch Tesla in his native Africa, and it is a concern shared by many in Africa, who wish to own a Tesla car.
Nevertheless, as Electrek noted, though there are plenty of Tesla cars in Africa, they have been privately imported by individuals who have to jump through hoops to make it happen.
These owners face huge challenges charging and maintaining their vehicles since Tesla doesn’t support the market with service centers, Supercharger stations, navigation updates, and connectivity. Tesla has solved these problems in its existing markets by firstly deploying Supercharger stations and service centers.
According to Electrek, there are only four Supercharger stalls at each station and they are only v2 150 kW, which is the previous generation of Tesla’s Supercharger technology.
However, while the gesture points to a desire by Tesla to venture into Africa, it could be a strategic move by the automakers to serve the needs of its nearby markets.
What Electrek thinks.
Based on those locations, those first Superchargers in Africa might be more about servicing vacationing European Tesla owners than the local market.
Nonetheless, it’s an important first step toward Tesla entering the African market. After opening those Supercharger stations, it will be easier for Tesla to open more.
There are already a decent number of Tesla owners in Morocco and a few other African markets.
Tesla has been known to look at the number of owners who imported their own cars into a market as a data point to consider officially entering the market.
In Morocco, Tesla is also doing more business after recently starting a supply agreement with semiconductor company STMicroelectronics based outside of Casablanca.
However, getting into the African market will require that Tesla sets up more than supercharger and service stations. With the epileptic situation of electricity in the continent, the major infrastructure that electric vehicles need to sell in Africa is largely lacking.
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