"Electrifying" the Great Debate: A Road Trip Like No Other
It’s time to challenge the status quo. Join us on a journey that will blow your mind, test the limits of electric vehicles, and shed light on the dark corners of our understanding. TechCentral embarked on a four-day, 2,000-kilometer road trip across South Africa, aiming to prove that electric cars can conquer even the most treacherous terrain. But there’s a catch – the infrastructure isn’t quite there yet.
Think again, rivals. In this week’s Tokyo-based provocateur, Rory Cellinescu, Author:
We set out to break the molds, defying the conventional wisdom that electric cars are only for city slickers or eco-warriors. Our mission was to drive five electric vehicles – a Volvo XC40, BMW iX50, Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+, BYD Seal, and Volkswagen ID.4 – from Johannesburg to Cape Town, covering 2,000 kilometers of rugged terrain. And then, we did it. We made it. Sort of.
But don’t believe the hype just yet. This 13-strong team, led by yours truly, faced grenade-like charging issues, a Tesla Model Y breakdown in Jansenville, and endless hours of uncertainty. Our mantra? "Adapt or perish." We crushed the mountains, weathered the downpours, and survived the drama.
A bigger challenge looms on the horizon. The charging infrastructure isn’t ready for mass adoption, a fact we confronted head-on. In an exclusive interview with Feroz Koor, Group Sustainability Officer at Woolworths Holdings, we tackled the elephant in the room: "The charging infrastructure, quite frankly, stinks."
Don’t miss our subsequent dispatches featuring jaw-dropping anecdotes, an exposé on the mission to bring electricity to 300 million across Africa, and an exclusive documentary (coming soon!) capturing the shenanigans on our epic journey.
The Team
- Duncan McLeod, Editor of TechCentral
- 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
- Kival Singh, Head of Sustainability and ESG Solutions at FNB South Africa
- Mikel Mabasa, CEO of Naamsa – The Automotive Business Council
- Nathan Fredericks, Senior Industry Development Planner at the Industrial Development Corporation
- Nicholas Brooks, First Secretary – Senior Energy Adviser for South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Project
- Tshetlhe Litheko, Chief Policy Officer at Naamsa – The Automotive Business Council
- Jonathan Pinkhard, Freelance Journalist & Photographer
- Frank Meyer, Freelance Journalist & Photographer
- Shaun Abdul, Freelance Journalist & Photographer
