Electric cars have country all charged up

Future of transport doesn’t include petrol, say auto experts

THE motoring world is abuzz with the arrival of the country’s first electric cars and those in the know predict a future without petrol.

The electric car was first introduced to the world in 2013 and this week saw the arrival of the first Nissan, BMW and Jaguar electric cars in Cape Town.

While the green machines are still in their test stages and no prices are available, the future is already here and the introduction of the cars could save the country R14 billion that’s spent annually on fuel.

Chief executive at Generation.e, Ben Pullen, said the cars could be on South African roads as early as 2021 and he foresees that petrol vehicles will begin to be phased out by 2025.

“This is the beginning. In some European countries, dates have already been set to phase out petrol cars.

“We will have less air pollution and carbon emissions, so that’s great news for the environment,” he said.

According to Pullen, the introduction of electric cars is in line with the Transport Department’s green strategy.

This plan includes reducing the number of cars on the highways and to encourage people to use public transport, walk, cycle and Uber.

Pullen said while it is difficult to say just exactly how much electric cars will sell for in South Africa, come 2021, in some European countries, they sell for about R540 000.

“This may sound costly, but if you look at the long-term benefits, it’s definitely value for money.

“This is an exciting time.

“Most car manufacturers are launching electric cars,” said Pullen.

But for many petrolheads the most important question will be how the electric car works.

Product manager at Nissan Janus Janse van Rensburg said the vehicles were all automatic and the top speed of the Nissan Leaf was 150km/h, and while this may seem slow for those who love speed, the car has a Euro N Cap 5 safety rating.

The battery gives you 300km on a single charge and it comes equipped with an emergency battery.

Janse van Rensburg said there are plans to establish 150 charging facilities nationwide, so that electric cars will always have battery power.

When the cars are introduced, three charging options will be available. Slow charging (17 hours, normally overnight), intermediate charging (2-3 hours) and DC charging (40 minutes), with the latter being the more expensive option.

He said the batteries in electric cars could last between eight and 10 years.

“The Leaf is the best selling car globally with around 250 000 sales. While it’s not the fastest on the road, it has excellent performance and acceleration capabilities,” said Janse van Rensburg.

The downside is that electric vehicles are taxed higher, but it is hoped that once there is assistance from the government it might change.

The Leaf is the best selling car globally with about 250 000 sales Janus Janse van Rensburg NISSAN PRODUCT MANAGER

| SUPPLIED THE future has arrived because the electric car is set to replace its fuel counterpart by 2025.