Alright, maybe we really are monkeys. Yeah, I know. Maybe we indeed evolved from chimps, built cities, and invented a bomb powerful enough to wipe ourselves out. Well, according to Darwin, that’s evolution.
Things change all the time. Whether in biology, geology, anthropology, pretty much every “ology” you can think of goes through change. And just as we went from caves to condos, from spears to 50-caliber machine guns, our good old chariots we now call cars, are facing their own leap in evolution.
Once upon a time, we rode horses and pulled chariots like in a Gladiator movie. Then Karl Benz made the miracle of a car, then came the noisy Model T, and now Teslas are roaming the streets with more computing power than the rockets that took us to the moon. Some don’t believe that, I know. It’s okay.
You see, we are witnessing an epic evolution of mobility. Chariots became wagons, wagons became cars, and now cars are evolving too. From smoky exhausts to silent zips, we’re now in the age of electric vehicles, EVs if you’re in the know.
Malawians have joined the EV transformation, sure, but at a snail’s pace. The moment someone whispers “Electric Vehicle,” we all suddenly turn into overnight economists, declaring EVs are too expensive while happily spending K300,000 a month fueling petrol guzzlers that drink like it’s New Year’s Eve.
The truth is, the problem isn’t the price tag. It’s behavior and perception. Yes, supply and charging stations matter, but let’s be honest, we don’t mind driving a 2008 reject from Japan, but when it comes to a brand-new EV? So many complaints and excuses.
Let’s do some quick math. Your average Prado or Fortuner driver burns through K300,000 to K500,000 a month on fuel. An EV, with proper charging infrastructure in place, could cost just a fraction of that. No oil changes, no exhaust gases, and fewer moving parts to break. At that point, the “expensive EV” starts to look less like a luxury toy and more like the cheapest long-term investment you’ll ever make.
Financing? Oh please. If banks can happily finance a second-hand Japanese car with 200,000 km on the dash, surely, they can finance an EV. The real problem isn’t money, it’s mindset. We still think EVs aren’t bold enough to represent our status. Maybe that flies in Malawi, but elsewhere, EVs are prettier, faster, more comfortable, and a lot sportier than their petrol cousins. I mean, people out there are cruising in electric G-Wagons.
Globally, the EV wave is unstoppable. In 2024 alone, 17 million units were sold, and by 2030 projections say they’ll make up more than 40% of all car sales. That’s not just a trend, that’s a takeover. EVs are already displacing over 1.3 million barrels of oil per day, and the numbers keep climbing. The species has adapted, and it’s not just surviving, it’s thriving. Darwin would be proud.
Within the next decade, many countries won’t just be talking about EVs but completely divorcing fossil fuels. Tesla, BYD, Rivian, and even the stubborn old guards like Toyota are now throwing billions into their EV research and development. Africa has a choice, wake up and plan for an electric future, or end up as the scrapyard of petrol cars nobody else wants.
The good news is, we’re not entirely asleep. Progress is slow, yes, but it’s happening. In Burkina Faso, Itaoua is boldly defying the fossil-fuel age with African-made EVs, joining other companies in this exodus. In Malawi, Sky Energy Africa is busy preaching the gospel of EVs, and slowly, the congregation is growing. Step by step the continent is moving toward its own EVolution.
In this game of evolution, it’s not the strongest that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Whether you like it or not, the age of the roaring fuel-guzzling dinosaurs is giving way to the quiet hum of electric cars.
And just like in nature, those who fail to adapt… well, they go extinct.
