Electric Avenue

IF CHARGING YOUR CAR REALLY IS AS SIMPLE AS CHARGING ANY OTHER HOUSEHOLD DEVICE, WHY ARE WE SOUTH AFRICANS SO RELUCTANT TO GIVE IT A TRY? KELLEIGH KOREVAAR CLIMBED INTO THE FOUR PETROLGUZZLING CONCERNS ABOUT ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND TOOK THEM FOR A TEST DRIVE.

No one heard the surge in popularity of electric cars coming (probably thanks to their near-silent engines). But despite their many benefits – less pollution, lower carbon emissions, lower running costs – there are just as many potential roadblocks.

And to be fair, Saffers have a lot of unanswered questions about the new tech that seems to be a driving force in the everchanging motoring industry abroad. Is it really possible to get to and from work every day, go on cross-country road trips, and still come in on budget in a car that doesn’t use a drop of fuel? And are electric vehicles (EVs) even a possibility in SA really, or will load-shedding slam the brakes on our next drive? We investigate.

ROADBLOCK #1:

They’re Dangerous

According to the World Health Organisation, SA is near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to road safety, with approximately one million crashes reported in the country each year. Throw a self-driving EV into the mix, and it seems like you’re just asking for trouble. Remember when a Tesla Model S electric vehicle caught fire after it hit debris on a highway in 2013? The stock market remembers; Tesla’s stocks plunged 6.24% that day – and a further 4% the next, when footage of the fire went viral.

And those whisper-quiet motors aren’t without their safety concerns. A University of California, Riverside study found that people with headphones on could still hear a petrol-powered car coming from 8.5m away. However, a hybrid car in battery mode was only detectable at 2m – hardly enough time to get out of the way. A report by the UK Guide Dogs charity also found that people were 40% more likely to be hit by a silent electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle than one powered by diesel or petrol. And between 2012 and 2013, there was a 54% increase in pedestrian injuries involving quiet cars.