I am the editor of independent electric vehicle website WhichEV. I have 30 years’ experience as a technology journalist and a life-long love of cars, so having the two come together has been a dream come true. I first saw the potential for electric vehicles when I became one of the first people to drive a Nissan Leaf back in 2011.
The debate around decarbonization is frequently universal, with what works for developed countries presented as applicable everywhere. But reshaping energy consumption and usage to benefit the environment is more complicated in the developing world. I recently joined an international group of journalists in South Africa to explore how BMW envisions decarbonizing its business in this country.
Load shedding is a significant problem for businesses and education. At the very least, companies must pause to turn on a local generator – if they have one. The group I was with saw this happen in our hotel and even at BMW’s IT Hub in Pretoria. But schools may have to stop teaching for hours on end, if they can’t afford any kind of backup system.
BMW expects this system to last 20 years. Similar systems could be created from used battery packs that have dipped below the 70% warranty threshold. These might have eight years of useful life but could then be recycled for their valuable materials. Although the Ntsha Peu installation is specifically aimed at South African schools in poorer neighborhoods, it also demonstrates just how long the lifespan of EV batteries can be.
However, countries like South Africa could find other fuel sources fit existing infrastructure better. If e-fuels or biofuels could be produced economically, these might be a better fit for the country. That’s a big “if”, though. BMW is also considering whether hydrogen might be a good decarbonization option for South Africa.
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