Electric Cars on their way to Cape Town
According to an article published off biznews.com, there is a mandate across Cape Town and South Africa that will see a clear move from diesel or petrol run cars to electrically powered ones in the next 20 years. This is an outreach program geared towards cleaner energy as fossil fuels continue to pose greater environmental strain globally and in South Africa. 145 000, electrically operated vehicles could be functioning on South African roads within the next 6 years. Although these kinds of initiatives are greatly encouraged, what are the negative aspects associated with such a massive undertaking?
And how will this impact the residential property market? Geographically Cape Town is limited in terms of how the city can be developed. This is largely due to the fact that there is a mountain and the ocean, directly adjacent to numerous houses and apartments. This is especially the case in and around the city bowl and its surrounding suburbs.
Existing structures, apartments and buildings, will need to start making adjustments to accommodate car charging ports if these ambitious targets are to be achieved in the next 20 years. Jolene Alterskye a representative from leading residential real estate brokerage - Live Real Estate believes that this technology is vital, however in her opinion; there are various pitfalls that could inhibit the growth of electric cars in the tourist hub of Cape Town, especially for individuals who own apartments instead of houses.
"A landlord's option is limited, as permission of installing charges rests on the shoulders of the body corporate-in a sectional title scheme. If there is enough space for a charger in an apartment it still has to be approved by the body corporate. Many managing agents and body corporates are set in their ways and do not adapt to change willingly. So resistance is usually met with the initial application. I have recently experienced a couple sales or leases, conditional upon this matter and it has been an administrative nightmare to get the approvals granted. I believe more landlords and sellers will start to experience similar issues. Body corporates should start looking at the matter in advance and identify suitable options to accommodate residents to prevent red tape bureaucracy on each application. At the end of the day, it is in everyone's interest to have more electric cars on the road and city apartment blocks need to make this possible. Perhaps charging stations should be a city requirement for any new residential or commercial building, moving forward." - Jolene Alterskye.
However these hurdles haven't stopped, big car manufacturing companies from investing in South Africa's electric car future and according to numerous, sources in the media, certain major players are gearing up for South Africa's shift from petrol-based vehicles to electric ones.
"A total of 30 public charging stations will be erected at various points of convenience, such as shopping centres, in the country's major hubs including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, and Bloemfontein. South Africa's key city centres will now also be connected by the Jaguar Powerway - a series of 22 charging stations along the N3 between Gauteng and Durban and the N1 between Gauteng and Cape Town". - Pritesh Ruthan, 25th of September 2018, iol.co.za.
Other countries are also following suit, Nicholas Wilson, a swimming coach at the International School of Beijing China, often uses an electric car and states that they do have various environmental benefits. Including the fact that there is less pollution once the car is actively on the road, however depending on which energy a country uses, there are still carbon footprints to be left by using electric car charging ports.
"It's debatable (if coal plants are still being used) whether the environmental carbon footprint is lower. But, that said the health impact on citizens is big as it means less air pollution amongst pedestrians and inner city living. The coal plants are normally farther away from living areas. Our little Tuk Tuk takes very little space. There are charging units at our school that we all plugin, just directly from the mains. We have a charging box that converts the power from the socket into the required voltage to charge the tuk-tuk. Literally plugs into the wall like a normal electrical socket. Some e-bikes use a battery that can be removed and then taken into the apartment to charge. We run a cable out of our window on occasion to charge at the bottom of the apartment. The apartment block does not have a problem with usage in terms of electrical load but safety is an issue which they are clamping down on." - Nicolas Wilson
There are numerous other factors to take into account when it comes to using electric vehicles.
For any other inquiries, contact Live Real Estate directly on procedures regarding electric car charging ports in an apartment block in the Cape Town expanse.
live@liverealestate.co.za 021 439 3903.
