Thanks to Chilu, our Director and unofficial Head of EV, we had a meticulous “Extended Range EV Trip Plan”: a 367 km route from Parkhurst to Mbombela, complete with specific charging stops at the Alzu Petroport and Riverside Mall.

The plan was perfect on paper. However, the reality of the road proved that in the world of EVs, time is your most precious currency.

The Detour of Distraction

My journey began slightly behind schedule, reaching the Alzu Petroport at 09h00. While my plan allocated a crisp 29 minutes for a DC fast charge, I fell victim to the Petroport’s unique charm. Between the coffee and the wildlife enclosure, I spent extra time watching the rhinos, a delay that seemed harmless at the time but would later prove to be a pivotal mistake that would haunt my last few hours home.

Because of my leisurely stop, I arrived at the Riverside Mall at 11h26, which meant I didn’t have quite the right amount of time to charge before I stepped into the conference to present. I didn’t have the buffer I expected. I had to head straight to the conference venue, unable to get the full charge I’d hoped for before my session. And so my range anxiety started. Would I have enough time to charge to get home at a reasonable time? I decided it would be fine; I would charge after I presented and head out. I’d rather leave a bit later than find myself with a dead battery on the side of the road!

Presentation vs. Power

Despite the charging hiccup, the conference itself was a highlight. I took to the stage to present on the “Status of Green Buildings in South Africa”. It felt right to be discussing sustainability while my “office for the day” was a zero-emissions vehicle, even if its battery was sitting lower than I would have liked. Although the presentation was focused on Green Buildings, I had to share with the attendees that I had come with an EV that was waiting to be charged outside.

I managed to get the car back onto the 80 kW GridCars charger at Riverside Mall later that afternoon. With the car supposedly ready for the return leg, I felt my confidence returning.

The “Mid-Message” Meltdown

I pulled back into the Alzu Petroport in the late afternoon for the final charge home. I remember sitting there, feeling inspired and starting to imagine my own life as a fully EV Sustainability Champion. I was actually in the middle of texting a friend about how much I loved the EV experience and how I was ready to convert my personal life to electric.

Then, the charging screen went dark. Mid-charge, the station went offline, apparently for “scheduled maintenance”. What was supposed to be a routine 29-minute top-up turned into a technical support saga. With the station unresponsive, the next closest charging station was 30 minutes away, in the wrong direction. By the time I reached the alternative charger and got enough power to safely reach Johannesburg, I had added 1 hour and 30 minutes to my drive.

The Reality Check

In that moment, standing at a dark charging bollard in the fading light, I’ll admit I questioned the whole endeavour. When an EV plan works, it feels like the future. When it doesn’t, you feel the weight of every kilometre.

So I drove back 40km towards Nelspruit to Astron Energy Millys stop, where I charged and was joined by a Nelspruit local who was there to charge her fully EV vehicle. We chatted about our experience and she let me in on a secret I wish I had known that morning, that the Alzu charging station is known for being offline, so much so, that when she is driving between Nelspruit and Johannesburg, she avoids it completely and doesn’t consider it in her trip planning.

My takeaways for the “Changing Architectural Landscape”:

• Respect the Schedule: If the plan says 29 minutes, don’t give the rhinos 45.
• Infrastructure Resilience: We can design the greenest buildings in Africa, but our transport network needs the same level of commitment to reliability.
• Ask the locals: If I had taken some time to read reviews and speak to the attendants at Alzu, I might have been aware of the infrastructure challenges that affected my trip later.

And so, after charging and getting back on the road, it was me, the radio and an energy drink for another 4,5 hours! I eventually made it back to Johannesburg, much later than the estimated 17h54 arrival , but with a much deeper, more “boots-on-the-ground” perspective of the sustainability journey. Would I do it again? Absolutely. But next time, I’m waving to the rhinos from the driver’s seat while the car is already plugged in.

What I would say to those who are trying to make a decision on the EV vs Petrol engine for their new car: if you are thinking about it, the answer is already yes for your EV. Just know that when doing a long distance drive, plan, and make sure your plan has a backup plan!

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The ritual of refilling the BMW i3 REX (REX meaning Range-extender – a term for the small petrol generator that can keep this electric vehicle’s battery charged) is the same no matter what city, roadside filling station or small town you come to.

Stopping short of the pump, petrol attendants always ask you to move forward to access what seems to be the petrol flap at the rear. This actually conceals the electric charging port, as the petrol tank is filled at the front of the car. From there you get the same series of questions: Is that a second petrol tank at the back? No – it’s for an electric charger for the battery. How far can you go on a charge? About 130 km. Is the car fast? Yes – it will out-accelerate most performance cars. In fact, up to 40 km an hour it’s the quickest car BMW has ever made.

Making a plan to charge overnight in Amanzimtoti

I once had an owner of a petrol station along the N3 approach me and ask if I could drive him in the car. Impressed by the acceleration, he said: “It’s just a matter of time before I’ll have to close down.” In the long run, he’s right. But petrol cars will be here to stay for another few decades. Bloomberg predicts that by 2022, electric cars will cost the same as their petrol counterparts – but with far lower operating costs. Then there’s the superior performance. Batteries will continue to get smaller and lighter while petrol engines are up against their physical limits.

After all, the world’s fastest production car is the Tesla Model S P100D. Think about that for a second – there is no road-legal Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren or Porsche that can accelerate as fast as the Tesla. And yet the Tesla is a tenth of the price of some of its petrol competitors and seats seven people – all this while qualifying for low-emissions rebates in most first-world countries.

The Route

With that reality approaching, I always enjoy indulging people’s curiosity about the i3 – knowing that this is often a person’s first experience with an EV ahead of a future where they will be the norm. Along this route I’ve chosen from Johannesburg to Cape Town via the Drakensberg and Eastern Cape, most people have never seen an electric car, as these vehicles are only sold in larger cities. To my knowledge, no one has attempted a trip as long as this one.

Stopping over in Clarens for the day

The trip was born out of a question I’d often get. Sure, the BMW i3 is great for cruising around town at almost zero fuel cost where you can charge it each night using the home charger, but can it get to Durban? While I’m of the opinion that most motorists overestimate the amount of long trips they actually undertake, I was determined to prove that not only was Durban possible without much inconvenience, but so was an extended and scenic route to Cape Town.

The route I took involved stops in the northern Drakensberg, Clarens, Central Drakensberg, Durban, East London, Kenton-on-Sea and finally Cape Town. The latter leg of the trip was a marathon 874 km, proving that the i3 REX is a match for any distance one may want to do.

Fuel-Efficient technology

Although sold as an EV, the REX version of the i3 is actually what is termed a series hybrid. This means that a small onboard engine acts as a generator to keep the battery charged if you ever run out of electrical energy in the battery. While handy to alleviate range anxiety in South Africa, I find that I have never actually needed it in the city where I start each day with 130 km thanks to an overnight charge. Where it becomes handy is on long road trips. This feature offers the car the convenience of an EV which can be charged for almost nothing in the city, while giving incredible fuel efficiency on long trips.

Ready for the return trip at the last stop in Stellenbosch

The BMW i3 is still the most fuel-efficient car ever sold commercially. This is partly due to the low weight attributed to the carbon-fibre construction of the cabin, and partly due to the full regenerative braking. The novelty never wears off when coming down a mountain pass and watching the battery charge climb as you descend.

I’ve actually done a few long trips before this one. Never anything as bold as Joburg to Cape Town – the long way round – but I’ve made it to the coast at Sodwana, and the Drakensberg is a regular weekend jaunt for me in the i3. I can make it there on less than R200 worth of petrol, so why not?

Between all those prior trips and this epic one, I’ve never found a place where I’ve stayed that has not let me charge the car overnight. This, of course, buys you an extra free 130 km before the petrol generator needs to kick in on the next day’s driving. It’s always fun to see the fascination of the guest-house or hotel owner when they’re presented with a request to charge the car. Offering EV-charging stations is something that more and more hotels and guest houses are doing internationally, and it’s a matter of time until South Africa follows suit. It’s nice to know that this is not the last time they will receive this request.

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