Get ready for new electriccar world

done at home with the balance at shopping malls, motor dealers and public areas, says Jordaan.

BMW and Nissan, the early adopters, have so far incentivised sales of their EVs by offering free fast-charging at their dealerships but Jordaan believes this won’t be sustainable as EV sales grow, and other car makers will follow Jaguar’s lead to charge for charging.

The price of electricity fluctuates as with petrol, but a full recharge in an I-Pace will cost between R270 and R315 about one-third of the price of filling up a similarly-sized diesel SUV.

Addressing fears that EVs might strain our already unstable electricity network, Jaguar Land Rover SA’s Electrification Team Leader Brian Hastie quoted a CSIR study which showed that it would have little effect. In a simulated impact of EV charging on the Ekurhuleni grid, with the assumption that 25% of all cars were EVs, the study showed minimal change to the load profile mainly because most cars would be charged overnight when other electrical appliances aren’t in use.

In the same way that there was an initial buyer reluctance to premium diesel cars until they became more refined and mainstream, Hastie expects SA consumers to adopt EVs.

“The South African mind-set is ‘it will come eventually’ but the age of EVs is upon us,” says Hastie. “Ultimately EV uptake will be a necessity, so let’s get the EV curve going early.”