UNCONSTRAINED CHARGING
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are foundational to Africa’s electric mobility transition. As EV adoption accelerates across cities, public transport, fleets and trade corridors, charging demand will outpace grid capacity in many markets. Africa’s rollout will be fleet-led, driven by electric buses, logistics fleets, ports and depots that require high-power, predictable charging and cannot wait for slow grid reinforcement.
BESS enables fast, resilient and cost-effective charging through peak shaving, solar integration and diesel displacement. This positions electrified transport as one of the first large-scale, bankable demand drivers for battery storage on the continent.
The Nordic Africa EV Summit places BESS at the center of EV deployment by connecting Nordic leaders in battery systems, power electronics and energy policy with African cities, utilities, fleet operators and investors. Developed with the Nordic EV Summit and the Norwegian African Business Association, the Summit focuses on storage-backed charging that can be deployed today, alongside the governance and financing models needed to scale.
THEMATICS
Unconstrained Charging
In many African markets, charging demand will outpace grid upgrades. This pillar looks at how storage-backed charging infrastructure and BESS enable high-power, reliable charging without waiting for grid expansion, and how Nordic technologies and financing structures can accelerate rollout for fleets and corridors.
Heavy-Duty Electrification
Electrifying buses, commercial fleets and transport corridors offers Africa the fastest route to scale and impact. This pillar focuses on heavy-duty deployment models, showcasing how Nordic vehicle platforms, charging solutions and operational expertise can support reliable, high-utilisation transport systems across cities and regions.
Policy Enabler
The focus is on the regulatory, public transport and market structures that shape investment decisions, highlighting how Nordic experience in regulation, public procurement and public–private partnership models can support African governments and cities in creating predictable, investable conditions for long-term electrification.
Grid Readiness
Africa’s electric mobility rollout will be limited by grid capacity unless power systems evolve in parallel. This pillar examines how grid planning, renewable integration and system resilience can enable EV deployment at scale, drawing on Nordic experience in building robust, flexible power systems suited for long-term growth.