A new study claims that drivers in South Africa can save ‘significant sums’ by choosing an electric vehicle (EV).<\/p>\n
Research conducted by the uYilo e-Mobility Technology Innovation Programme at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, found that running an all-electric Nissan LEAF for a year costs R18,000 less than a petrol car, based on the average South African annual mileage of 30,000 kilometres.<\/p>\n
uYilo’s research is supported by the Government, Eskom and car makers, and was provided with a fleet of Nissan Leafs to use for the study.<\/p>\n
A car with a fuel economy of approximately 6 – 8 litres per 100 kilometres at current prices of R12.40 for 95 ULP, translates to the following annual cost:<\/p>\n
For an electric car, it would cost approximately R4,620<\/strong> to charge over the course of a year.<\/p>\n Regarding the cost of charging a Nissan Leaf, if the vehicle is completely flat, it takes 24 kilowatts to charge\u00a0– which\u00a0will cost just over R30, Nissan said.<\/p>\n The car has a maximum drive of 195 km per charge.<\/p>\n The Nissan Leaf however, comes with a starting price of R499,800<\/strong>, while a medium equivalent petrol sedan, like a Ford Focus starts from R219,000.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Most Leaf owners charge their car at home. A full charge takes 12 hours on a standard domestic plug, however, Nissan has rapid chargers, installed at its Leaf Dealerships, which provide an 80% charge in just 30 minutes.<\/p>\n To date 80 units of the Nissan LEAF have been sold into the local market since 2013.<\/p>\n Nissan said it is working on solidifying an EV charging infrastructure in the country and has set out to increase capacity in the next 12 months.<\/p>\n There will be 30 charging stations in Gauteng, 12 in KwaZulu-Natal, 10 in Port Elizabeth, 15 in Cape Town, 10 in Mpumalanga, 10 in Limpopo and five in central South Africa.<\/p>\n Top 10 most expensive cars in South Africa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Electric vehicle charging grid plan for SA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore on cars in SA<\/h3>\n