With each year that passes, the revolution to the electric vehicle gathers a little more momentum.
Sooner or later a critical mass will be reached, the price point and performance hours will be just right, and we’ll look back at the age of internal combustion engines as if they were donkey carts.
But not terribly soon, it seems. South Africa has been slow on the uptake with regards Electric Vehicles (EVs). For starters, if our power supply can’t be relied on what with the load shedding, that does not bode well for buying an EV.
Add to that what’s known as ‘range anxiety’, understood to be the fear that the power will run down before you get to the next charging station, plus an underdeveloped charging infrastructure and high taxes on EVs, and you’ve got a climate not that receptive to the revolution.
But that is starting to change, and with second hand EVs now coming into the market, more and more drivers are getting on the all-electric bandwagon.
Looking at the average costs, a BMW i3 and the Mini Cooper SE both come in at about 30c a kilometre, that’s a serious advantage over the petrol burner.
Mercedes-Benz is assuring itself a place at the electric table by announcing the introduction of five EVs to the local market, under the marque Mercedes-EQ, standing for electric intelligence and sustainable modern luxury.
The range for 2022 includes an SUV called the EQA SUV, with the EQB being the family-sized version. In the mid-size range is the EQC, based on the GLC platform, then the electric business sedan EQE and the luxury sedan EQS.
Mark Raine, newly appointed President of Mercedes-Benz Cars and Co-CEO of Mercedes-Benz SA says while “South Africa is not without its challenges in terms of the EV landscape … significant interest has already been shown by potential customers for our EQ range. This interest is aided by the growth in the public charging grid including national coverage on main routes, and the number of potential customers with existing renewable energy solutions (or considering these in the near-future). Based on these developments, we are confident that the cars we bring into the country will find many happy owners.”
Starting with the EQA dynamic sports SUV, with a power output of 140kW and range of up to 412km, the range tops out with the EQS all-electric luxury sedan delivering 385kW and capable of a stunning 780km range. The EQB and EQC bring SUV all-wheel drive capabilities to the family weekender, with Mercedes inimitable luxury all round.