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Loadshedding, Electric Vehicles and Musk

Written by Scott Pharoah

Loadshedding, Electric Vehicles and Musk

Loadshedding… the word on everyone in South Africa’s minds, but what does it mean for electric cars and their growth in the country? The reality is that, as South Africa still generates power from coal, the ‘green’ factor of electric vehicles doesn’t really apply. Your carbon footprint isn’t reduced dramatically by purchasing an electric car, in fact, an electric vehicle can draw the same amount of energy it takes to add three houses to the grid.

South Africa currently has three purely electric vehicles available, the Jaguar i-Pace, the Nissan Leaf and the BMW i3 and with Shell announcing that it will launch its first electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, we will surely see more of these vehicles come to market in the near future. The concern about the power utility (we all know the name) and their ability to supply power is a very real one. 

With the Tesla Model 3 said to be coming to SA in 2019, this may be the answer to the consumer who is in the market for an EV but doesn’t want the hassle of not knowing whether or not their car will be able to be charged. Tesla’s solution is their Powerwall – a compact, wall-mounted home battery that stores electricity from solar panels and can then power your household after sunset, serving as a backup electricity supply. This would give the consumer a little more peace of mind if they are set on an EV. 

A little more info on the Tesla Model 3 – for about a half a mil, you will get a fully electric, sporty, attractive vehicle that can travel up to 347km on a single charge and goes 0-95kn per hour in under six seconds. It is designed to achieve a five star safety rating and it has autopilot software. 

We are a little ways off from electric vehicles taking over the market but the future is on it’s way, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, by the year 2040, one in every three new cars sold will be electric.  

Sources for facts… 

http://www.bigissue.org.za/feature/electric-cars-will-sa-switch-on/

https://www.wheels24.co.za/News/Guides_and_Lists/loadshedding-what-if-theres-no-power-to-charge-my-car-sa-motorists-remain-sceptical-about-electric-vehicles-poll-20190320

March 25, 2019
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