- Title
- The implications of electric vehicle implementation for employment levels in the Eastern Cape’s automotive sector
- Creator
- Coetzee, Marius George
- Subject
- Unemployment -- South Africa
- Subject
- Electric vehicles -- South Africa
- Subject
- Automotive Industry -- South Africa
- Date Issued
- 2025-04
- Date
- 2025-04
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/72022
- Identifier
- vital:79178
- Description
- The global transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is steadily gaining momentum, with over one million EV sales recorded in 2022, which accounts for 1.3% of total vehicle sales. This shift, largely driven by climate change initiatives and the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, has led many countries to announce plans to phase out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. South Africa, particularly the Eastern Cape province which is a hub for the country’s automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), is significantly impacted by these technological advancements. The automotive industry in the province, which contributes 13% to the provincial GDP and employs approximately 55,000 people, is vital to the Eastern Cape’s economy. However, the transition from ICE vehicles to EVs may bring about socio-economic challenges, particularly in terms of employment within this critical sector. This study investigated the potential impact of EV adoption on employment in the Eastern Cape's automotive industry, with a focus on three core areas: EV charging infrastructure, battery manufacturing, and skills development. The shift towards EVs is expected to disrupt ICE vehicle production, which raises concerns regarding job losses due to the reduced complexity of EVs, which contain significantly fewer moving parts than do ICE vehicles (that is, 20 versus 2,000, respectively). This could lead to a decline in demand for automotive components, which would likely result in factory closures and job reductions across the province. The study sought to answer the central question: "What effect does EV implementation have on employment levels in the Eastern Cape’s automotive sector?" To explore this, the study examined the roles of charging infrastructure, battery manufacturing, and skills development, with the aim of providing insights into the broader socio-economic consequences of South Africa’s transition to EVs. An online survey was conducted to collect data for this study; this survey targeted 60 respondents, with 35% of these respondents having completed the questionnaire, thus resulting in a research sample of 21 participants. The hypotheses testing, which was
- Description
- Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2025
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (143 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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- Visitors: 33
- Downloads: 1
Collections
NMU Business School
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | COETZEE, M.pdf | 4 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |