Stage 6 load shedding – it sucks, I know. We’ve had load shedding for 16 years now and it has just got worse. I could get into how load shedding has caused devastation to our economy which will have lasting negative effects. I could talk about how it has prevented an upward trajectory for many businesses and individuals, but this article is about a car, an electric car.
How has electric mobility been affected by a lack of electricity? Let me expand.
In IOL’s first update, introducing our Mercedes-Benz EQA long-term test car, I touched on the negative effects of load shedding. However, after spending a full month and a half behind the wheel I have been exposed to a few more aspects of electric car ownership. Most of which are not what you think.
Let’s talk about stage 6. I have, over the past month and a bit, made good use of apps such as Eskom se Push as well as the GridCars website. These apps tell me which areas have electricity and which chargers are working.
As mentioned in Part 1, I have only been using public charging and it has been going rather well thanks to the use of the abovementioned apps. My two preferred charges can be found at Menlyn Maine and Irene Village Mall. The latter offers free parking in the basement where the charger can be found. It is a 60 kilowatt-hour (kWh) charger and seems to run at that inflow relatively well.
Some chargers have a maximum output of 50kWh but only run at 30kWh. I have been charging when the car gets to the 160km range remaining mark. It usually takes about an hour to reach 100%. This brings me to the real problem, if you can call it that.
It’s all fine and well spending an hour charging to get range. The EQA can do about 400km on 100% battery life and that costs around R388 if you charge from 0%. You can expect anything between one to one-and-a-half hours if you use a 50kWh or 60kWh charger. A 100kWh charger, which is the EQA’s maximum charge capacity, will see you drive off in just half an hour.
So what do I do during that hour? Well, after I find a coffee shop I take out my laptop and do a bit of work. The problem is that you can’t sit at a coffee shop without ordering something. A cup of coffee is best complemented by a slice of cake. While I’m at the mall and have time to kill, perhaps I should get ingredients for supper.
Before you know it you have had a coffee, cake and bought things you didn’t need. This is what I have found to be the biggest issue.
The other alternative is to get your step count up while walking around the mall a few times. What I like about the Irene Village Mall is that the charger is in the basement parking lot, which means you can sit in the car, do some work on a laptop and listen to a podcast. This saves you from having to spend extra money on things that you don’t need.
The other more serious issue is that thanks to load shedding, many electric car owners are rushing to charging stations at malls for a quicker and more effective charge. I have been planning my days well and chargers have always been available when I arrive at a charging station. However, the people that arrived after I did had to wait. I have seen around four electric cars parked at a charging station waiting to plug in.
GridCars has done a fine job of rolling out the infrastructure, however, I think the uptake has been impressive. There are many electric charging stations in Gauteng but not many at a given location. Irene Village Mall, for example, could do with two more chargers.
What is comforting to know is that Mercedes-Benz has been installing a few chargers at their EQ-approved dealers. Mercedes-Benz Menlyn offers a new charging station with dedicated parking. Inside you can grab a cup of coffee or lunch, use the wi-fi, practice your golfing skills and browse some Mercedes-Benz lifestyle products. The staff is welcoming and the atmosphere is great.
So far my time with the Mercedes-Benz EQA has been great. I have covered around 1 300km in the past month. This has included many tips between Pretoria and Johannesburg as well as to the airport. I plan to hit the open road soon to see how the car behaves when the distance increases and the fast chargers decrease – gulp.
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SPECS: Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 AMG Line
Price: R1 227 000
Outputs: 140kW and 385Nm
0–100km/h: 8.6 seconds (claimed)
Battery capacity: 66.6 kWh
Driving range: 410km (claimed)
Luggage capacity: 430 litres
Vehicle warranty: 2 years / unlimited mileage
Battery warranty: 8 years / 160 000km
Maintenance plan: 5 years / 100 000km
Follow Justin Jacobs on Instagram: @thejustbin