Last year, walking through the James Hall Museum of Transport, stroking the doors of the Eskom-branded Enfield Electric 8000 car, I had a chuckle at the thought of it being easier to power in 1974 when it was brought to South Africa than in 2023. After a couple of changes of hands, it landed on Eskom’s lap in 1994. It was exciting at the time because it was the start of the electric vehicle project.
Whatever it was, 30 years later very little has come of it, save to make it a museum piece. The private sector took on the electric vehicle project before gay marriage was allowed in the country and in 2005, we had the company Optimal Energy. They got a lovely R315 million combined from the Department of Trade and Industry and the Industrial Development Corporation to build a prototype of the Joule; a car that was going to challenge Tesla.
Four prototypes were made before the project became unfeasible. Some Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University students had a wonderful time torching three of them with the last one rusting away in camera. Fear not dear public! For Eskom is recharging the electric vehicle market ! We have learned that they have installed an electric vehicle charging network.
Goody gumdrops. When I heard the news, I was on my way to buy an electric car imagining how I’d be able to go exploring the country by taking advantage of a whole electric vehicle charging network infrastructure. In solidarity with most electric cars, my energy was sapped prematurely when I.