A frugal and comfortable oil burner might be the logical choice for most trekking between Joburg and Cape Town but a group of motoring affiliated members backed by naamsa embarked on an EV road trip between Johannesburg and Cape Town. The scenic trip wasn’t without its shortcomings though… 
Looking for a new or used EV? Find it here with CARmag!
Last year, an ambitious road trip sought to address the feasibility of long-distance electric vehicle (EV) travel in South Africa. Unlike the usual day or two trek on the country’s passage between the two cities, this pre-planned trip spanned four days exposing the diverse landscapes of the country, travelling through the villages in the Eastern and Western Cape to the rugged mountain passes of the Karoo, including Nieu-Bethesda and Prince Albert via the Swartberg Pass. The event was strategically timed ahead of Naamsa’s SA Auto Week in Cape Town, adding weight to the discussion around South Africa’s EV future.
Related: Toyota Warns Subsidised Chinese Imports Could Further De-Industrialise SA
The road trip was spearheaded by Naamsa in collaboration with major industry players, including KPMG, Accenture, Woolworths, the Industrial Development Corporation, the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, the Electric Mission, WesBank, FNB, and TechCentral. Their aim was to highlight the challenges and opportunities that EV owners might face when embarking on long-distance travel, particularly in areas with limited charging infrastructure.
The convoy consisted of five electric vehicles— a Volvo XC40, a BMW iX50, a Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+, a BYD Seal, and a Volkswagen ID.4— all of which successfully reached Cape Town despite a few tense moments in Colesberg and Jansenville, where range anxiety became a real concern.
Related: Did Red Bull Miss Out On Something By Signing Lawson?
Piloting the silent vehicles 2 200 km was a team keen on Escaping the Noise and comprised industry and sustainability experts. Among them were Greg Cress, Principal Director for Automotive and E-Mobility at Accenture; Hideki (Dex) Machida, Automotive Industry Leader at KPMG; Feroz Koor, Group Sustainability Officer at Woolworths Holdings; Hiten Parmar, Executive Director at the Electric Mission; and Kival Singh, Head of Sustainability and ESG Solutions at FNB South Africa.
Related: Toyota Confirms Four Refreshed Models for SA at SOMI
Also in attendance were Naamsa CEO Mikel Mabasa, Nathan Fredericks from the Industrial Development Corporation, Nicholas Brooks from the UK’s Just Energy Transition Project, and Tshetlhe Litheko, Chief Policy Officer at Naamsa. TechCentral’s Editor, Duncan McLeod, was also part of the team, helping document the journey alongside a production crew comprising Jonathan Pinkhard, Frank Meyer, and Shaun Abdul.
With its mix of real-world testing, expert perspectives, and scenic South African backdrops, the documentary offers a compelling look at the future of EV travel in the country and does prove there is still a little way to go for the infrastructure to truly make this a realistic form of long-distance travel.
