The 2024 edition of the South African Festival of Motoring was recently held at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Johannesburg. What stood out for me was the increasing number of electric vehicles on show as well as available for test drives. I really like these exhibitions. These kinds of exhibitions … [continued]
South Africans had been facing increasing electricity rationing (loadshedding) over the past couple of years. The effects of loadshedding on homes and businesses have been brutal, and the South African Reserve Bank says that during the higher stages of load shedding, where consumers can experience 12 hours of load shedding … [continued]
South African electric car drivers can now comfortably charge across the country’s major highways, such as the N3 from Johannesburg to Durban. One can comfortably do this even in an EV with a relatively small battery pack by today’s standards, as illustrated in this recent road trip from Johannesburg to … [continued]
South African homes and businesses have added 3,526 MW of rooftop solar in just two years! It is just wonderful to see how fast electricity generation capacity can be added from rooftop solar. According to data from South Africa’s national electricity utility company, Eskom, there were about 2,264.5 MW of … [continued]
Plug-in hybrid vehicles seem to have a growing market in South Africa. In 2023, there were 333 plug-in hybrids sold in South Africa. The number of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) sold in the first half of 2024 has already hit 88% of last year’s total, as 293 PHEVs were sold … [continued]
In the first 6 months of this year, 749 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were sold in South Africa. A total of 931 BEVs were sold in the whole of 2023, meaning that the total number of BEVs sold in the first six months of 2024 was 80% of the total … [continued]
Autotrader did a survey in South Africa a while ago to find out how much South Africans were willing to pay to buy an EV. The survey results show that 64% of respondents stated that they would purchase an electric vehicle within the next 5 years. 72% of consumers are … [continued]
Seriti Green’s broader programme will produce 3,500 MW of power from wind and solar. South Africa’s grid is powered mostly by coal power plants. Although, renewables are starting to make a significant contribution. One of the largest suppliers of coal to Eskom’s coal fleet now has a programme to power … [continued]
South Africa’s EV market is still quite small, but it is now starting to show signs of progress. Looking at the most recent full-year data, the market shares for plug-in hybrid, BEV, and plug-less hybrids were 0.06%, 0.17%, and 1.2% respectively. These electrified vehicles had a combined market share of … [continued]
A very unique change in the shape of the electric load met by conventional power plants develops when increasing levels of PV are added to the system. This phenomenon was first observed and published in a paper by NREL in 2008. The phenomenon was then later confirmed in more detail … [continued]
