Nissan, BMW, and Jaguar Land Rover, in conjunction with the Department of Transport and Gauteng Provincial Government, recently took part in a road trip between Johannesburg and Cape Town using electric vehicles to demonstrate the feasibility of the charging grid.
The electric vehicles used on the trip were the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, and Jaguar I-Pace. These vehicles use the same charging socket, as they all conform to the same electric vehicle charging standard.
“Nissan’s participation in embracing a safe and reliable mode of transport in October Transport Month is both, a pledge and vision for EVs to one day be a holistic reality to transition to smarter and electric mobility for all South Africans,” says Kabelo Rabotho, Marketing Director, Nissan South Africa.
EVRT Africa embarked on the road trip on October 3 to October 10, on the back of the Smarter Mobility Africa conference which kicked off on October 1 and 2.
The road-trippers embarked from the Sun Arena at Time Square, Pretoria, on 3 October, and headed for Bloemfontein, and then on to Gariep Dam, Graaff-Reinet, Port Elizabeth, Knysna, and Worcester, ending in Cape Town.
The event was opened by Roger Atkins, Founder of Electric Vehicles Outlook (UK), and Azania Mosaka, 702 host and presenter. They were joined by more than 100 experts talking pertinent issues throughout the summit.
For example, Tim Abbott, CEO: BMW Group South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, and Jacob Mamabolo, MEC: Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure – Gauteng Provincial Government, discussed how rapid urbanisation has created a need for smarter mobility solutions to address congestion, pollution and traffic accidents.
Rabotho said: “Intelligent transport systems and services form the backbone of smart mobility and a cornerstone of a smart city which works to harness the power of technology in order to improve service delivery and quality of life through the use of sustainable solutions.”
Ben Pullen, CEO at Generation.e said that it is vital for the country to start minimising the challenge of EV drivers not being able to find charging points as it is now more important than ever to start promoting the use of EVs in order to reap the benefits that they provide.
Pullen said: “It is for this reason that South Africa’s first electric vehicle road trip (EVRT), has rolled out EV charging stations powered by ACDC Dynamics, effectively creating a stronger charging network to support the EVRT Africa initiative.”
“These systems and services use technology as a means through which to improve performance, safety, mobility and environmental sustainability. With the correct information and support, the expansion of this industry can create opportunities for local entrepreneurs to develop their skills in a variety of areas such as the manufacture of lithium battery components, the installation of charging stations which can be increasingly powered by renewable energy such as wind and solar.”
One year ago, Transport Minister Blade Nzimande together with his Deputy Sindisiwe Chikunga launched and signed the Green Transport Strategy into law.
Nzimande said the strategy aimed at promoting an environmentally friendly transport system and help boost economic growth as well as creates jobs.
The minister has continued to urge both the public and private sector including the automobile manufacturers to work together with government in reducing the ever-increasing carbon dioxide emissions.
“Through this strategy, we aim to promote green mobility to ensure that the transport sector supports the achievements of the economic growth targets whilst protecting our environment,” says Nzimande. “As we know, transport is the driver of socio-economic development, but of course, our carbon footprint continues to grow at a highly unacceptable level.”