The Mauritian Context: An Island Facing the Energy Transition
Mauritius imports 80% of its energy, including almost all fuels for transport. With a vehicle fleet of over 560,000 vehicles for a population of 1.3 million inhabitants, the transport sector accounts for approximately 30% of the country's CO₂ emissions. In this context, the transition to electric mobility is both an environmental necessity and an opportunity to reduce the energy import bill.
The Mauritius Renewable Energy Agency (MREA) and the Ministry of Energy published a roadmap in 2022 aiming to achieve 35% renewable energy in the electricity mix by 2025 and to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles through tax incentives.
The EV Fleet in 2023: Still Modest Figures
By mid-2023, Mauritius had approximately 800 to 1,000 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in circulation, representing less than 0.2% of the total fleet. The brands present are mainly Nissan (Leaf), BYD and a few grey-imported Teslas. The lack of a reliable public charging network and the high purchase price (exacerbated by customs duties) are the two main barriers to adoption.
Charging Infrastructure: The Missing Link
In June 2023, the public charging network in Mauritius was limited to about twenty charging points, mainly in luxury hotels and a few shopping centres in Grand-Baie and Port-Louis. For comparison, France had over 80,000 public charging points at the same date for a fleet of 900,000 EVs.
The challenges specific to Mauritius include:
- Grid reliability: power outages, although less frequent than in sub-Saharan Africa, remain a concern for charging station operators.
- Lack of standards: the absence of standardisation on connectors (CCS, CHAdeMO, Type 2) complicates the deployment of a coherent network.
- Financing: the required investments (estimated at 50 to 80 million rupees for a basic network) exceed the current capacity of private operators without public support.
The 2023-2025 Government Roadmap
The 2023-2024 budget introduced several incentive measures: exemption from customs duties on EVs up to Rs 2 million, a Rs 75,000 subsidy for the purchase of a first EV for individuals, and a call for tenders for the installation of 100 public charging stations in government buildings and hospitals.
The government aims to reach 10,000 EVs in circulation by the end of 2025, which would require a network of at least 500 public charging points according to European standards (1 charging station per 20 EVs).
Opportunities for EVCI Investors and Operators
The Mauritian EVCI market, although embryonic, has attractive characteristics: a stable economy, a legal framework inspired by French law, a dense urban population and a leading tourism sector demanding green services. The first players to structure a professional offering (installation, maintenance, network management, billing) will have a lasting competitive advantage in a fast-growing market.