Electric cars could help power Eskom out of trouble if tax roadblocks removed
Fewer than 400 cars on South Africa's roads, out of a total vehicle population of more than 12 million, are fully electric - depriving the country of an opportunity to revive cash-strapped power utility Eskom. Energy and e-mobility experts believe a boom in the local electric car market could see Eskom sell the 30GW power surplus that is currently costing it millions. If every motorist on South Africa's roads turned from the petrol pump and purchased electric cars, Eskom would increase its sales volumes by 10%, said Carel Snyman, general manager for the cleaner mobility programme at the South African National Energy Development Institute. Eskom's sales are down 15%, and with the downturn in the economy and more consumers taking advantage of South Africa's sunny skies to generate solar power at home, national demand is in decline. With this dim outlook, policymakers should move quickly to make electric cars an attractive choice for motorists, Snyman said. "The world is moving away fr...
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