uYilo serves as the national electric mobility programme that has been active since 2013 in playing a leading role in enabling the electric mobility ecosystem. As a multi-stakeholder programme, uYilo’s activities include government lobbying (policies, regulations and standards), industry engagement (from multi-national OEMs to start-ups), pilot projects, capacity development, enterprise development and thought leadership across the ecosystem.

uYilo is derived from the local Xhosa language which means ‘to create’, along the mission of creating an enabling environment for the eMobility industry in South Africa, and Africa. The programme operates from a corporate satellite office in Johannesburg and technical facilities in the Eastern Cape hosted by Nelson Mandela University where the region holds historic reference to when South Africa’s automotive manufacturing began in 1924. In support of the ecosystem technologies, uYilo’s technical facilities include ISO 17025 accredited battery testing, materials testing, electric vehicle systems, and a live testing environment providing inter-operability between electric vehicles and the smart grid..

The programme is an initiative of the Technology Innovation Agency, a public entity of the national Department of Science and Innovation. uYilo’s impact aligns with the required outcomes of the National Development Plan 2030, Automotive Masterplan 2035, Green Transport Strategy 2050, African Union Agenda 2063, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement for economic and social transformation.