Diesel fumes and the growl of a hardworking engine are usually part of the stop-start process of tracking animals on the twice-daily game drives that are central to any high-end safari experience in Africa. It’s not unusual to spend six to eight hours a day in an open 4×4 vehicle traversing rough terrain. Now, the entrepreneurial owner of Cheetah Plains, a new turbo-luxe lodge in South Africa, has introduced a game-changing electric vehicle designed to enhance the experience while being kind to the environment.

Zero emissions were the initial incentive behind the design of the new safari trucks, which cost about $100,000 each. (That’s double the price of a regular safari vehicle.) But the byproduct of the environmentally friendly fleet of Toyota Land Cruisers— which are fitted with the latest Tesla battery technology and, fully charged, can drive for hours over any terrain—is a nearly silent safari, meaning closer encounters to lions, leopards, giraffes, elephants, and the rest of the native wildlife in the 45,000-acre Sabi Sands Game Reserve. For wildlife photographers, in particular, the real advantage is the low hum of the engine and the unobtrusiveness of gliding quietly through the bush.

Cheetah Plains is the latest property to launch in the Sabi Sand, a private game reserve made up of mainly family-owned concessions. At around $8,500 per acre, the Sabi Sand is the most expensive land under conservation in South Africa. Along with all of its native predators, sightings of its famous leopards are the reason why safari-goers pay top dollar to vacation at its swanky lodges.

In line with its boundary-pushing approach to game viewing, Cheetah Plains offers just three private villas, each designed with cutting-edge sustainability credentials by Cape Town–based architect Stefan Antoni, who is better known for designing futuristic luxury hotels in places like Thailand and the Seychelles than safari lodges in Africa. The houses have the latest in gray-water recycling systems and, by April, will operate 100 percent on solar power.

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PRETORIA – Shell SA will be launching its first electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in its retail network this year, with the number installed based on demand.

Shell spokesperson Dineo Pooe said that as the EV market grew, the company would play a key role in making their customers’ journeys better.


“This is part of our roadmap to 2025. We will start small in 2019 and ramp up as demand increases. Shell together with its strategic partners will make this investment,” she said.

GridCars, part of the JSE-listed information and communication technology products and services group Alviva Holdings, is one of several companies driving South Africa’s green e-mobility revolution and anticipates having almost 200 EV charging stations installed in the country by the end of next month.

Pooe added that there were 1 billion cars on the road and 2 million were electric but the International Energy Agency believed that by 2040 there would be 2 billion cars on the road, with 150 million of them electric.

Shell is one of several oil companies in South Africa that have started to adapt to the changing environment.

Priscillah Mabelane, the chief executive of BP Southern Africa, said the group was committed to remaining a major energy provider to vehicles in a low-carbon future, irrespective of the power train.

Mabelane said BP was developing more efficient fuels and lubricants and was actively participating in the advanced mobility space through investments in infrastructure, technology and partnerships.

“In line with this commitment, the BP Group has invested in FreeWire Technologies, a manufacturer of mobile EV charging solutions, StoreDot, a developer of ultra-fast charging battery technology, acquired Chargemaster, the UK’s leading EV charging company, and invested in NIO Capital, an investment fund looking at opportunities in China’s advanced mobility ecosystem.

“At BP Southern Africa we are watching these developments with interest and will leverage off the group experience and knowledge appropriately,” she said.

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Electric vehicles are set to increase their presence on South African roads as more car manufacturers announce their intention to enter the industry in response to global trends.

In 2018 alone, at least 1.6 million electric vehicles (EVs) were sold in the United States, Europe and China, and the uptake is only set to increase.

This is according to Jaguar Land Rover South Africa network director and electrification team leader Brian Hastie, who says the ‘exponential growth’ in the uptake of electric vehicles globally will impact South Africa significantly, because as models are developed, they will become available to South African vehicle manufacturers and consumers.

South Africa currently has two brands of electric vehicles, the BMW i3 and i8 and the Nissan Leaf, but a new player is about to enter the market.

​Jaguar Land Rover announced that it will be launching its own electric vehicle to the South African market on March 1, after its global launch of EVs last year. 

South African drivers will soon see Jaguar Land Rover’s Jaguar I-Pace, Range Rover plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and Range Rover Sport PHEV showing their smarts on the streets.

According to the Land Rover website, the vehicles’ prices range between R1 600 000 and R2 200 000. Land Rover’s PHEV battery capacity is 13kWh and is charged via an external source. When the vehicle is in EV mode, it delivers up to 48km from a full charge.

These vehicles are designed for the city and for short distances, but Hastie says the latest generation of electric vehicles are beginning to improve their range capability to enable longer distance driving.

The ‘BMW i’ electric vehicle was launched in South Africa in 2015 and, according to the group’s communication manager for SA and sub-Saharan Africa, Hailey Philander, at least 600 BMW i3 and i8 models have been sold to SA customers since launching. She added that on a global scale the brand sold more than 140 000 electrified vehicles in 2018.

The company is expecting to have a combined 500 000 electrified vehicles on South Africa’s roads by the end of 2019.

The BMW i3, if charged by a DC fast charger, can be charged from 0% to 80% in around 45 minutes. It needs about 13.4kWh battery capacity for 100km. Accordingly, the cost per 100km for a BMWi3 is R18.09. The vehicle itself is priced between R600 000 and R740 000.

Philander told Moneyweb that BMW plans to launch a bigger battery pack for the i3 in South Africa shortly, which will allow for a full electric range of around 270km.

The Nissan Leaf was introduced to South Africa in 2013. Without revealing how many Leafs have been purchased to date locally, the company confirmed to Moneyweb its plan to roll out an all-new Nissan Leaf to the South African market in a phased approach.

Nissan SA MD Mike Whitfield says Nissan will begin with a focused pilot programme in 2019 and will work with stakeholders to establish the necessary environment for the complete introduction of EVs and related technologies from 2020.

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Contestants from nine countries, including South Africa are currently competing in a solar challenge car race from Pretoria to Cape Town.

The competition will see competitors race through 18 towns over eight days driving along highways and roads like any other car.

They are expected to cover more than 30 000 km using only the sun’s power.

The Sasol Solar Challenge is said to be a biennial competition. Teams from across the world design and build solar-powered vehicles to drive across South Africa in the eight-day event.

“The teams will compete to cover the most distance, following a set route each day, and then completing additional loops with the power they have left,” it states on the event’s official website. “It takes good engineering, great drivers and a team that manages energy, the weather and the routes well. The many returning teams will be aiming to break 2016’s record of more than 4 500 km.”

The finish line is in Stellenbosch, and the awards ceremony takes place in Cape Town on 30 September 2018.

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A macroeconomic study into the impact of a possible transition in the South African transport market from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) has been launched.

Initially proposed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the study is backed by the South African National Energy Development Institute, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Global Environment Facility.

The research, which is scheduled for completion by August, is being facilitated by Change Pathways, drawing on models and research capacity at the University of Cape Town’s Energy Research Centre, as well as Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies.

Outlining the study’s scope to members of South African National Energy Association (Sanea) this week Change Pathways director Anthony Dale said the study sought to understand the possible economic and social risks and opportunities that a transition to electric mobility could have.

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 02/13/2018
By Matt Brown, Vice-President of Energy for Western Europe, Middle-East and Americas at Pöyry 
​
We examine some of the major uncertainties that exist around electric vehicles – when and where will people charge their cars? What behaviour will we see? And ultimately, what impact may EVs have on the generation and distribution of electricity?

2017 was a major year for announcements on electric vehicles. While there are still hurdles to be overcome, it seems that EVs have already won the battle for the future of transport.

Naturally at Pöyry we don’t rule out the possibility of natural gas, hydrogen and fuel cells playing their part, but in this point of view we consider only an ‘all electric’ future.

Imagine that by 2030 EVs have taken over as the vehicle of choice and rapid EV take-up has transformed our streets making them quieter and with much reduced local air pollution. Still a major uncertainty exists – when and where will people charge their EVs? What behaviour will we see?

Added to this uncertainty is the transformation of the electricity system that is ongoing – decarbonization, decentralization and digitalization. We expect increasing amounts of non-dispatchable renewable generation in the form of wind and solar, and for new technology and innovation to allow for much greater levels of consumer participation in the electricity market.

So the key question we address here is ‘what impact may EVs have on the generation and distribution of electricity?’

In a future with 50 per cent of all cars, buses and motorcycles ‘all electric’ across the EU28, the demand for liquid transport fuels is 68 mtoe p.a. lower (or 24 per cent of the 2016 total) and annual electricity demand is 330TWh higher, which is 11 per cent of EU28 final demand in 2016.

To some this may not seem much, but it is equivalent to adding a country the size of Italy to the electricity demand of the EU28. One reason why the impact is not larger is that EVs are efficient in turning energy into km travelled when compared to reciprocating engines.

It is important though to consider how the electricity is generated and compare primary energy use per passenger km to ensure a like for-like comparison.

What does this 330 TWh mean in terms of additional capacity – how many gigawatts of new plant may be needed as a result of this increased electricity demand? If the 330 TWh was considered on a standalone basis, it would require 45 GW of baseload plant, which is equivalent to 14 Hinkley Point Cs, or 125 GW of onshore wind capacity, which is almost three times the current total onshore wind capacity of Germany.

But what does it mean for investment needs when considered in the existing electricity system? The answer to this question is not at all straightforward, as it depends on how, when and where EV owners choose to charge.

When will EVs charge?

Energy versus Capacity. Electricity demand varies across the day and across the year, and storing electricity is currently costly. As a result, traditionally electricity systems have plants that run baseload, mid-merit and peaking duty.

In addition, they hold reserve capacity to deal with unexpected peaks in demand. So, a peaking plant may only run for a small number of hours over the year. In addition, the wires that distribute electricity also have to cope with peaks in demand and be sized appropriately.

With spare capacity on the system, additional energy demand could in theory be accommodated without the need for new capacity.

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Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), part of Daimler Trucks Asia (DTA), the front runner in electric trucks, has delivered the first units of its eCanter, in two ceremonies to its first Japanese customers, Seven-Eleven and Yamato Transport.
The eCanter is the first all-electric light-duty truck in series-production by a global manufacturer. The truck made its worldwide debut last month in New York City, and is being leased initially in a small series-production in Japan, Europe and the US. Today’s handover ceremonies mark the first worldwide delivery of FUSO’s eCanter into customer hands.
Kazuo Matsunaga, Chairman of MFTBC & DTA stated, “In times of rapid urbanization, manufacturers, forward thinking customers, and municipalities have to cooperate in order to lower greenhouse gas emissions and make cities greener and quieter. FUSO has taken the leadership role in the electrification of trucks, and is very happy to hand over these first eCanter to its customers today.”
He added: “We are grateful we could convince such iconic and forward thinking companies like Seven-Eleven and Yamato, to become the first customers to receive the eCanter and operate it in their fleets, setting a benchmark for corporate citizenship”.
The handover ceremonies were held at Seven-Eleven’s Chilled Hino Center (Hino City, Tokyo) and Yamato Transport’s Haneda Chronogate (Ota Ward, Tokyo). Seven-Eleven will gradually start to operate the eCanter in eight of their centers in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba. Seven-Eleven is committed to reduce the burden on the environment by optimizing their distribution systems. Yamato Transport also plans to use the eCanter for its transport operations in the Kanto region to contribute to a sustainable urban environment. Seiichi Awa, Managing Director of Yamato, said: “As the largest logistics company in Japan, trucks are at the heart of our company. We are excited to be the first to integrate the electric eCanter into our operations and make deliveries emission-free. We believe electric trucks are the future of urban delivery.”
The FUSO eCanter is a light-duty truck that emits zero local emissions and zero engine noise. This enables businesses to have deliveries, even in dense neighborhoods, in early morning hours and late into the night. It is also a positive business case, as customer fleet tests have shown that the electric eCanter can save up to approximately 1000 Euro per10.000 kilometers in operating costs. The electric truck has a GVW of 7.5 tons, carries 6 lithium-ion battery packs and offers a range of roughly100km on a single charge. Charging takes around 1.5 hours (DC quick-charging system) and 11 hours with a regular system (200 V). The body comes in various configurations such as box body and flatbed. MFTBC has a long history and experience in alternative drivetrains. Since 2005, we are manufacturing and selling the Canter Eco Hybrid. In 2010, we presented the first prototype of our all-electric light-duty truck “E-CELL”.

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Energy is a fundamental prerequisite for development and economic growth.  However, current energy supply and consumption patterns, also around transportation, are not environmentally sustainable. 

In order to decouple industrial development and economic growth from energy consumption and environmental degradation, and at the same time deliver on the country’s international commitments to reduce carbon emmissions, the industry needs to become significantly more energy efficient and progressively switch from carbon intensive to low-carbon and low-emission (or clean) technologies. 

A joint session by the Low Carbon Transport South Africa and the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme in South Africa (GCIP-SA) will explore various aspects of green mobility in South Africa and the latest trends internationally, at the 12th Southern African Energy Efficiency Conference. The session will be held in the Augustus room from 13:30 – 17:00 on 14 November 2017, and the speakers will also be available at stands 19 and 20 for further interaction.
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