The eighth webinar of the Shoonya Webinar Series convened leaders from Southeast Asia and Africa to explore how emerging economies are scaling electric mobility through policy innovation, financing models, ecosystem partnerships, and market-led deployment approaches. Moderated by Samhita Shiledar, Principal, RMI, the discussion highlighted how countries are building context-specific pathways for electric vehicle (EV) adoption across shared mobility and commercial transport segments.

Opening the discussion from a regional and policy perspective, Annika Berlin, Programme Management Officer, UNEP, reflected on the diversity of EV transition pathways across African markets. Annika emphasised the importance of designing electric mobility systems around real user needs, noting that if we really want adoption at scale, then we need to “design with the user in mind.” Annika also highlighted the role of coordinated engagement among governments, companies, and consumers, while underscoring the importance of targeted awareness-building efforts to accelerate uptake in smaller EV segments.

Bringing a business-model lens from Indonesia, Jordan Syein Sutoko, Head of Strategy and Expansion at AIZEN, highlighted how EV deployment in emerging economies depends on aligning multiple stakeholders simultaneously. Describing AIZEN’s approach to platform-linked financing and operations, he observed that “the enabler is not only policy or technology, it is bankable demand.” He further stressed that reliable utilisation and ecosystem coordination remain critical to unlocking financing for EV fleets, highlighting the importance of private-sector collaboration.

Rivana Mezaya, Director of Digital and Sustainability, Grab, shared insights into Grab’s operations across Southeast Asia. Speaking to what makes cross-sector alignment succeed, she noted that “the orchestration of the ecosystem is very, very important.” The discussion reflected how factors such as affordability, reliability, access to financing, and charging readiness continue to shape EV adoption decisions among drivers and consumers.

Speaking from the Philippine context, Yvonne Palomar-Castro, Board of Director, Philippine EV Community, discussed how evolving policy frameworks can shape the country’s EV ecosystem. Reflecting on the current phase of adoption, she noted that “affordability, really, of the electric vehicles, will drive the shift,” pointing to a strong foundation for both scale and long-term impact.

On the financing side, Koye Alaba, Director of Off-Grid Transaction Advisory, GreenMax Capital Group, emphasised the importance of economics-led adoption models in African markets. Highlighting the role of innovative financing structures, Koye observed that “the single most important, fundamental enabler of EV adoption, in Nigeria particularly, has been cost savings.” The discussion also explored battery-as-a-service models, lease-to-own financing, and ecosystem-wide collaboration as important mechanisms to reduce risk and improve affordability.

The session concluded with a shared recognition that emerging economies are not following a single pathway towards electric mobility. Instead, adoption is increasingly being shaped by locally relevant combinations of policy, financing, partnerships, and operational models. Panellists underscored that stronger cross-country learning and ecosystem coordination will continue to play an important role in accelerating the EV transition across these emerging economies.

You can revisit the discussion by accessing the webinar recording here.