Electric Vehicles (EV) Infrastructure Pathways for Zambia: Trade-Off Between EV Battery Swapping & Charging Model vs Charging-Only Model

Zambia's transition to climate-aligned mobility requires selecting the most suitable electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure model to balance cost, resilience, and inclusivity. This study compares a dual “Battery Swapping + Charging” model with a “Charging-Only” model using a multi-criteria framework encompassing infrastructure cost, standardization needs, technology lock-in risk, operating economics, safety, grid integration, environmental footprint, consumer acceptance, and fleet uptime. Drawing on international benchmarks, Sub-Saharan Africa use cases, and Zambia-specific conditions, the analysis finds that while Charging-Only is simpler and less costly to deploy, the dual model delivers greater fleet uptime, operational resilience, and grid-load management potential, particularly in high-utilization corridors. However, the dual model requires higher capital investment and strong regulatory action on battery-pack standardization and safety protocols. The findings suggest that a phased, standards-led rollout targeting fleet-intensive sectors, coupled with technician training, forecourt conversion, and second-life battery frameworks, can accelerate adoption while creating green jobs and supporting energy-transition goals. Early fiscal incentives and grid-smart siting are critical to de-risk investment and enable widespread uptake.