* Both past, present Govt share same principle, but have different concepts *UDC prefer the e-car to use solar energy, instead of electricity *These cars belong to Ministry of Trade not Communications- Tshere

David Tshere, the Minister of Communications and Innovation, has hailed the introduction of e-cars as a “commendable initiative”, but insisted it doesn’t fall under his ministry’s mandate.

However, he disagrees with the notion that it falls under his ministry’s jurisdiction, suggesting instead that it should be managed by the Ministry of Trade.

Recently, Tshere, accompanied by the then-acting Minister of Trade, Baratiwa Mathoothe, toured a facility where e-cars, including SUVs and buses, were assembled and remain parked, awaiting a decision from the UDC government on whether the assembly of such vehicles aligns with his ministry’s mandate and is government priority.

In an interview with Botswana Guardian, Tshere clarified that e-car mobility and vehicles generally do not fall under his ministry, as there is no element of research and innovation involved in the process.

“These are ready-made products that should be entering the market,” he explained. Tshere emphasised that his ministry's primary responsibility is to focus on the development of products and prepare them for the market.

Once a product is market-ready, the next step involves obtaining loans or forming company partnerships to produce it at scale and deliver it to the public. He added that if e-cars could incorporate solar charging systems, they would better align with his ministry's focus on research-driven innovation.

He expressed his view that the use of fossil fuels to power electric cars undermines the very purpose of transitioning to renewable energy.

“In my view, it’s pointless to claim we are pursuing renewable energy while still relying on fossil fuels to charge electric cars. It defeats the whole purpose.

“The concept of e-cars was meant to promote renewable energy, so if these vehicles are powered by fossil fuel-generated electricity, they cannot truly be classified as complete e-cars,” he explained.

Tshere acknowledged the introduction of e-cars in Botswana as an excellent initiative, highlighting their potential to improve transportation efficiency.

However, he was critical of the process, stating, “If the government wanted to invest in this market, they should have done so through an investment arm, not through the research and innovation sector, which currently falls under BITRI. This is where the issue lies.”

He pointed out that BITRI (Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation) had been involved in procuring buses and SUV vehicles from China. According to Tshere, this effort seemed to be aimed at understanding the concept behind e-cars and electric buses.

“Personally, I like the idea of electric cars. They save a lot in the long run, but it becomes counterproductive if they are not fully solar-powered,” he remarked. Tshere also raised concerns about the associated costs, citing the P1.3 million required to establish charging stations and the P30, 000 monthly cost of charging the vehicles.

He emphasised that this issue does not fall under his ministry’s mandate.

“The reason I visited the facility was to familiarise myself with the matter, to see it for myself,” Tshere said, adding that he invited the Minister of Trade to accompany him during the visit.

Tshere explained, “We visited the warehouse, and in fact, there are two adjacent warehouses. One is more like a showroom, with several new buses and SUVs on display.

“The other warehouse is intended for assembly, but when they say ‘assembly,’ they mean fitting parts such as chairs and wheels, which arrive separately in containers.

“What they’re doing there is not a full assembly operation; it’s simply putting together parts to make the vehicles operational.

“In my view, this is essentially a storage facility, and we are under a three-year lease agreement with the owner, with one year already elapsed.

“During this fact-finding mission, I discovered that we are renting this space, and there are new buses and vehicles parked there.

“Some of these vehicles have been distributed to individuals and others assigned to my ministry, but those allocated the vehicles have not collected them due to technical issues that still need to be resolved.”

As part of his investigation, Tshere asked the entourage accompanying him to take a test ride to Game City Mall.

“It appears to be an excellent initiative if handled properly. It has the potential to address transport concessions effectively, especially if we work in collaboration with the Buses and Taxi Association.

“If we integrate solar power into these vehicles, we can advance the transport industry significantly—for example, by using them at airports or as utility vehicles,” he concluded.

That was the thinking at the time—now that P30 million has been spent on importing these vehicles, what is the return on investment, considering they are just sitting idle?

“We’re still at the point of figuring out where to deploy these buses so they can actually provide some benefit,” Tshere explained.

He added, “The situation is tricky. Yes, the cars can be charged using a standard household plug overnight, but the bigger question is what we’re going to do with them moving forward.

“While the idea of introducing e-cars is commendable, the initial costs are extremely high, making them inaccessible for the average Motswana. These vehicles are far more expensive than traditional cars, and to fully charge one costs about P80 worth of electricity.”

Tshere questioned whether the decision was properly thought through or whether an impact assessment was conducted.

“We are still trying to determine what should be done next,” he said.

Another challenge, he noted, is that the patent for the vehicles belongs to the Chinese, meaning modifications are not possible even if there were plans to establish a local assembly plant.

“What I hear is that BITRI are doing a retrofitting exercise in Kanye, where they are converting standard fossil-fuel vehicles into electric ones.

“I think that’s a good initiative, but I am not sure to what extent it can impact the economy. It does, however, seem to be attracting interest from the private sector, given the rising costs of fuel.

“On the surface, it looks promising, but I don’t believe this falls under the mandate of the Ministry of Communications and Innovation,” Tshere said.

He went on, “My ministry is highly technical, focusing on innovation and developing new ideas—from research to products that can positively impact people’s lives.

“Our goal is not to own the products we create but to hand them over to consumers who can benefit from them.

“We don’t conduct research to serve ourselves; we do it to create solutions that improve the lives of our customers.

“That’s why a product like this doesn’t align with our ministry’s mandate. If it has already passed the prototype stage and become a finished product, it falls outside our scope.” He elaborated on the

ministry’s role, stating, “Our focus is on product development. We take an idea, conduct research to explore the science behind it, deploy technology, and develop prototypes.

“Once the product is ready for the market, we hand it over—it’s no longer our responsibility.”

On the matter of producing batteries locally, Tshere said, “That’s a commercial issue, which doesn’t fall under my ministry. This is why I involved the Ministry of Trade—they might see potential in exploring one or two aspects of this initiative”.