Still viable 10 years on?
December 2027 − From the independent Canton of Grahamstown. Trips to Johannesburg used to last about a week. The journey almost always identical. Driving to Port Elizabeth, queueing at the airport, the 80-minute flight, disembarking and negotiating the terminal crowds and car hire counters. After a few years, it became repetitive and we began to invent personal challenges. For instance, trying to predict which passenger would be the first to prematurely bolt out of their seat as the air plane came to a stop. Or breaking the record from disembarking to receiving our rental car keys. In 2016, it stood at 10 minutes, 43 seconds.
From the airport, we joined over 3 million engine powered vehicles registered in Gauteng, negotiating traffic and speed bumps and toll road queues; the occupants bartering business deals, delegating childcare and entrusting education; pursuing parking spaces at mega malls, seeking meaning for an hour at a time on Sundays and chasing health on early morning treadmills.
But all of that seems like an archaic dream now, only 11 years after the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt was launched in the US. This game-changer had a range of 400km on a single charge and costs less than half the price of Elon Musk’s Tesla Model S innovation.
I recall the last time we rented a car at Johannesburg International Airport (renamed shortly after the 2024 elections).
As the world’s oceans became a Fountainhead of fresh water at the touch of a solar desalination plant button, the 14 car-hire companies soldiered on, eventually offering a free kinetic-powered Smartphone with every rental.
Then the car rental companies disappeared as Uber, Taxify and Lyft made commuting simple, affordable and quick. Passengers could do work while being driven by owner-drivers, no longer shackled by exorbitant fossil fuel prices. And then own- er-drivers just became owners with a rented charging space.
Driverless, (autonomous) cars controlled by GPS proximity receivers and clever electronics halved the number of vehicles on the roads, and made commuting fast and safe - except for the occasional ex-Taxi Association slash and burn campaigns.
Other than weekend enthusiasts, vehicle ownership became progressively obsolete, just like the horse-and-carriage of a century before. The new generation graphene batteries powered not only large autonomous delivery trucks, but also high capacity drones capable of delivering shopping, ordered by voice-activated Smartwatches and paid for in whatever online currency or value agreed with the supplier. It was freeenterprise, truly voluntary and unrestricted.
To the astonishment of the world, President Donald Trump was re-elected in 2020 and oversaw an era of unprecedented opportunity and human advancement – even if by absolute fluke. With the advent of the electronic and information age, combined with low-cost solar and renewable energy, US policy on climate change and lack of connection to human equality became irrelevant.
With expensive, (hence) limited fossil fuel consumption, there was little pollution to campaign against. The information age empowered humans with medical knowledge, foresight and risk-awareness. And universal education became a data link in the smartphone-held palm of the most economically disadvantaged person.
It wasn’t all progressive and positive though. It may have happened too rapidly for our human psyche to adapt. New ailments such as Political Cor- rectness-stress Syndrome and Compulsive Texting Disorder proliferated. Voice recognition scamming became the newest crime and programmers worked feverishly to develop the artificial intelligence capable of distinguishing voice tone, pitch and timbre.
Was your career or business affected by the above? Were you part of the vehicle, automotive, transport, fuel, plumbing or electrical industries. Were you an employee of a municipality or utility service? Were you involved in hospitality, retail or the many support industries interconnected to all of these? Did you consider the future – either paralysed with indecision or motivated to meet the novel opportunities? Did you adapt, and how? What strategies were considered at the end of 2016 with the new age imminent and transformative?
November 2016 – From Grahamstown, Republic of South Africa.
“With final matric and university exams under way, Grahamstonians look forward to the Festive Season break and a New Year of consistency and stability.”
Today, a Johannesburg newspaper reported General Motors announced the all-electric Chevy Bolt will be sold at US dealerships from December.
And as for the record time of disembarking from the plane to receiving rental car keys at the airport? It was never meant to be broken.
• Ron Weissenberg is a Grahamstown resident who started his first (unsuccessful) business at the age of seven. Ron sits on the boards of various companies and is a recognised orator on entrepreneurship, economics, commercial law and governance.