A First of Its Kind Electric Vehicle Test Was Conducted in Mzansi and These Are the Results
- Audi and Mercedes-Benz are the latest manufacturers to launch electric vehicles in South Africa with their E-Tron and EQ ranges
- BMW's i3, Jaguar's I-Pace and the Mini Cooper SE are the three EVs that have been on sale for the longest period in South Africa
- A recent test was conducted to see how the trio of EVs performed when it came to the actual distance they could travel from a fully charged battery at an average of 120km/h
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The test took place at the Gerotek High-Speed Oval in November 2021 and BMW i3s, Jaguar I-Pace and the Mini Cooper SE were required to be driven at 120km/h, national speed limit.
The aim was to determine how many kilometres each EV could travel on a single charge if they were driving non-stop at 120km/ on a characteristically hot day in South Africa recorded at 28°C.
Source: UGC
The test was conducted by AutoTrader and focused entirely on open-road driving. This removes any traffic congestion and the opportunity for each EV to its regenerative braking – a recovery system that redirects what would otherwise be lost kinetic energy back into the battery during deceleration. Regenerative braking assists in increasing the range.
The Jaguar I-Pace sports the largest battery of the trio with a net battery capacity at 84.7 kWh and claims a range of up to 466km. The British EV covered a total of 277km, 311 m at a true average speed of 119.9 km/h. In context that's the distance from Johannesburg to Pretoria and back twice, with plenty of mileage to spare. According to PlugShare, there are as many as 71 charging points within a 3.2 km radius between these two points, illustrating the fact that South Africa’s larger metropolitan areas are better stocked with charging options than many might believe.
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The BMW i3s e-drive REx (the test was conducted with this derivative’s range-extender fuel tank emptied) completed 168km, 527 m, at an average speed of 120.02 km/h. In last place was the Mini Cooper SE was just behind on 147 km, 730 m at a true average speed of 119 km/h. The i3s and Cooper SE sport net battery capacities of 37.9 kWh and 28.9 kWh and advertised ranges of 285 km and 215 km respectively.
It must be noted that BMW and Mini make it abundantly clear that those two vehicles are better suited to stop-start traffic predominantly experienced in the city. For the record all three EVs were driven in their respective eco modes – Eco for the I-Pace, Eco Pro in the case of the i3s and Green for the Cooper SE – from a fully charged state, with each car's air-conditioning system set at 21°C on auto.
AutoTrader’s CEO, George Mienie said:
“While we believe it’s important to set an official benchmark in South African conditions rather than relying on typically cooler European testing scenarios, our broader aim is simply to educate local consumers. Range anxiety is a hurdle many potential buyers face and this test will help them form a better understanding of the variations in range when it comes to EVs."
According to PlugShare, there are as many as 71 charging points within a 3,2km radius between these two points, illustrating the fact that South Africa’s larger metropolitan areas are better stocked with charging options than many might believe.
Porsches and Bentleys have likely been destroyed in a cargo ship fire
A merchant cargo ship named the 'Felicity Ace' found itself in distress 300km off the Azores Island after a fire started in its cargo hold, Briefly News reports.
The ship was transporting 4000 Volkswagen Group vehicles including Porsches, Bentleys and Audis from Germany to North America.
Bloomberg reported that Volkswagen Group brands including Lamborghini and Audi were also on board and that more than 100 vehicles were headed to the Port of Houston in Texas. Those vehicles included 100 Golf GTI, Golf R, and ID.4 models were also affected.
Source: Briefly News
