SMALL CHANGES ADD UP TO A BIG DIFFERENCE

The automobile is about freedom. Freedom to explore your surroundings, transport goods and services to clients. Oil prices are gradually ticking up as the global economy recovers, leaving me with a sense of dread when filling up at the fuel station.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Tesla has been reinventing the electric car and recently unveiled an electric truck. It might take some time for these uber cool innovations to hit our shores; but, in our hyperconnected world, ideas and inspiration can circumnavigate the globe in a second. Tesla is forcing the hand of established automotive manufacturers to electrify more of their drivetrains.

Specia; wheel covers on their Model 3, to improve range, by up to 10 per cent, the new Tesla Roadster, with cameras, replacing the rear view mirrors, all improves the car’s aerodynamics. Drag was not something I would really consider when looking at a car before I started following Tesla’s work.

With more than a billion internal combustion engine vehicles on the planet, some millions in South Africa, today we can collectively give our wallets a boost, while giving climate change a hardcore smackdown. Some considerations I can think of, at this moment: • Driving style or culture. Take it easy and enjoy the views. • Aerodynamics. Remove roof racks that are seldom used. • Tyre width, weight and dimensions. Go for that lighter emergency wheel. • Excess weight. Get rid of that junk in your trunk. • Clean… that air filter, it’s the lungs, of your car. • Watch the temperature. I read somewhere that fuel density increases up to

2 per cent during a chilly morning. So that could be a good time to fill up the car. All modes of transport constitute up to 90 per cent of all carbon activities, many driven by fossil fuels. Any increase in efficiency would contribute significantly to free up capital to invest in other more value-adding endeavours. Efficient and affordable transport is fundamental to any flourishing economy.

It’s within our power today, by making many small changes, to boost our economy out of the doldrums. Politicians come and go, but the innovators and the engineer in all of us, can leave a lasting legacy, big or small. It all adds up.

Love PM, LOVE Tesla. Would love an in-depth article on Tesla’s plans for SA.