Driving a BMW iX xDrive 50, the pair left BMW Cape Town City at 19:00 on 28 June 2022 and reached BMW Joburg City at 15:18 the next day (29 June). This means the team took 20 hours and 18 minutes to travel the 1,400 km distance, including time spent charging the car. This trip last week was actually in the middle of quite a crisis for the power utility Eskom, which was forced to implement Stage 4 (4,000 MW) and Stage 6 (6,000 MW) of load-shedding due to several factors, including industrial action by staff over disagreements on wage increase
On the availability of EVs to South African motorists, Visagie says there is a dire need for the efficient energy use these vehicles bring. “The energy cost per kilometre of the fully electric MINI Cooper SE can be as low as Rand 35 cents per kilometre; even less. These days, a fuel-efficient petrol or diesel car burns R1.30 to R2.00 per kilometre. Sadly, EVs are either expensive, in short supply, or both,” he says.
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