Towards African geographies of electric vehicle battery and infrastructure risks

Governments, non-governmental organisations, development agencies, private firms, and an expanding network of actors are exploring ways to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) across Africa. As their initiatives grow, a body of research in transport geography and wider social sciences on EVs is emerging. However, reflecting policy priorities, most of this research concentrates on encouraging adoption. Less attention has been paid to EV battery and infrastructure risks during routine use—risks that may be intensified in African contexts by second-hand import pathways, local servicing and emergency capacities, socio-economic inequality, colonial land-use legacies, and weak regulatory and cybersecurity capabilities. This paper calls for increased focus on the specifically African geographies of EV battery and infrastructure operation risks throughout their operational lifespan and not only during the afterlife stage, with due consideration for the socially differentiated and spatially uneven nature of such risks across scales, places and networks. The paper concludes with phased research and policy recommendations for an EV transition rooted in preparedness, spatial justice, and institutional resilience, rather than reactive crisis management of the risks embedded in EV battery and infrastructure systems.