The future of motoring is silent and less harmful to the planet with the introduction of fully electric cars.
This happened because vehicle manufacturers were required to cut down emissions and reduce their carbon footprint.
First came hybrid cars, a combination of traditional fuel-powered engines along with battery-powered motors for shorter distances. Hybrids served as a springboard for manufacturers to explore the idea of fully electric cars that no longer rely on fuel.
Solutions by Tesla, BMW and Nissan have welcomed fully-electric vehicles by adopting pouch lithium-ion batteries — a single car containing multiple battery packs that power the car for a particular range. The downside? Charging these cars relies on grid power from a standard wall socket. Hello, Eskom!
Cars such as the Nissan Leaf are equipped with a battery pack that allows the driver to travel up to 363km on a full charge. At that distance, it’s primarily for city travel. Cars such as the BMW i8 or the Tesla Model S can travel up to 1000km. Based on the larger electric vehicles’ extended range, more and more drivers are making the decision to switch to electric vehicles.
As a result, we need an infrastructure that accommodates electric cars. Today we see more filling stations and shopping centres placing charging stations on their properties. This is only one part of the infrastructure required. We also need battery specialists able to assess, repair and service these very special batteries.
Ryan Annandale of Battery Centre says the largest battery specialist network in South Africa is geared and ready for the future of motoring. This upward shift is what makes Battery Centre a leader in electric vehicle battery servicing in South Africa.
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