Tesla has just brought out new versions of both their Model S and Model X.  The new Model S can go approximately 592km on one charge before you will need to charge it again and the Model X can go 520km on one charge.  In other words, you are getting to the point where you will be able to drive an electric car from Johannesburg to Durban without charging.  No doubt the improvements will continue every year and although Tesla has not come to South Africa yet, one must not forget that they provide Superchargers around the countries where they are based, like in America and Canada.  That allows you to stop on your journey at a charger, while you pop into a restaurant to have some coffee and a snack, that will recharge your car faster than your chargers at home can charge it, adding in let’s say 400km of charging in about an hour.  In other words, if you felt that you needed another 50 or 100km to get to Durban on your way from Johannesburg, you could stop at the Supercharger for 15 minutes and that would be more than enough to top up your vehicle while you take a break.  I am sure there are those who would say that they would like to drive the whole way to Durban without taking a break, but it is suggested for good driving that you should generally stop every 2 or 3 hours on a journey and I certainly stop at the halfway point on the way to Durban.

In any event, all of this is theoretical, because Tesla has not launched in South Africa and perhaps the cost of putting Superchargers and things like that all over South Africa only to sell a small number of the vehicles does not make sense, given that there are not that many people in South Africa, as a percentage of the population, who could afford a Tesla.  It will be interesting to see if any manufacturer, at the moment, is prepared to invest in South Africa to that extent in terms of the infrastructure.  Without it, electric cars cant really take off if you have to charge at your home only.