In South Africa, take-up of electric vehicles (EVs) has been meagre but it’s expected to increase as infrastructure and availability improve.
Nonetheless, it’s interesting to note that a foreign market as significant as the US is currently seeing a decline in demand.
According to Business Insider, a major car-rental company in the US is offering consumers the opportunity to buy these vehicles at good prices, amid a slowdown in demand.
The rental company’s move to reduce its EV fleet started last year, when it said it planned to sell 30 000 EVs, including Teslas, Chevys, Polestars and Volvos, at highly discounted prices, as demand for EVs slowed over the past year. The rental company said it was selling the 30 000 cars off because of their repair and maintenance costs.
During this April, its US sales website listed a used Tesla Model 3 for as little as US$25 363 (R477 836).
Experts explained that EV tyres needed to be more regularly replaced because the vehicles had to withstand more weight due to heavy batteries. Additionally, the vehicles’ instant acceleration technology meant that the accelerator pedals were also subjected to more wear and tear.
EVs’ limited battery range and the high energy consumption for charging, contribute to high maintenance costs. And, sparse recharging infrastructure in many states in the US makes long-distance trips inefficient.
News commentary site theconversation.com has also reported that the cost of production of EVs is likely to increase with the implementation of the Trump Administration’s tariffs. While some of the vehicles might be manufactured in the US, many of the critical minerals and components required to construct EVs are imported from countries that could be subjected to severe tariffs, including Canada, which exports 91% of its automotive parts to the US.
