5 Best Electric Cars

No longer just for celebrity eco-warriors, electrical vehicles are slowly making their way into South Africa. Even though we still lack the proper infrastructure for charging stations along South African roads, and most electrical vehicles are not within our financial grasp, we selected our top five, of which only three are on sale in South Africa.

BMW i8
The insanely good-looking i8 is so much more than just a sensational face. Even though it’s not an all-electrical vehicle, (technically it’s a hybrid) it can run on electric power alone. The i8 is extremely strong and light, due to carbon fibre reinforced plastic body panels and an aluminium chassis. Once you press the Start button, there's no engine noise, and you pull away with a silent ‘whoosh’. That's because the electric motor (linked to a rechargable lithium ion battery) in the front of the i8, is driving the front wheels, and the twin-turbo, three cylinder 1.5 litre engine driving the rear wheels, has not been activated yet. The i8 has a range of about 37 km's on electric power alone, and will reach speeds of up to 120 km's per hour. Switch to SPORT mode and you'll have a combined 266kW available from all systems. At R1 755 000 it really isn’t that expensive for what’s deemed a supercar.

BMW i3
Little, and more affordable brother to the i8, the i3 is one of the coolest (and lightest, at only 1200kg) cars we’ve ever driven. The i3 is BMW's first mass-produced car with zero emissions, due to its electric powertrain. It features carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (same as the i8) to improve energy consumption. And it’s just as futuristic on the inside as it is on the outside.

The i3′s range is about 129Km to 161Km, but that depends largely how you drive, and on what setting. But one does not have to stress. If you opt for the Range Extender module, you’ll get a two-cylinder 650 cc petrol and generator to tide you over for another 161km’s. But how will you charge it? Easy: you’ll have to install BMW’s charging wall box, at R25 000, which will charge your i8 or your i3 in under two hours. The i3 eDrive costs R525 000, and the i3 eDrive Rex (with range extender) is R595 000.

Nissan Leaf
The Nissan Leaf has been around in SA for a while, and was the first ever all-electrical vehicle to go on sale here. Just like the i8 and i3, it features a lithium-ion battery pack and an electric motor, and has a range of about 195 km. But you would also need to have a charging unit installed, and the Leaf it will take a whole 7 hours to charge. If you do run out of power, you can stop by a Leaf-certified Nissan dealership and recharge your Leaf up to 80 percent full in only 30 minutes. The Leaf is no budget buy and will still set you back R 450 600.

Kia Soul EV
Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show in 2014, the Kia Soul EV is Kia’s first all electric-vehicle. It is based on the second generation Kia Soul. Featuring a high-capacity 192-cell 27 kW lithium-ion polymer battery pack, the Soul EV can drive a whole 212 km (according to Kia) on a single charge. It’s not coming to South Africa anytime soon.

Tesla Model S
The Tesla Model S is no conventional electric car. What makes it stand out is the fact that it comes with either a 70 or 85kW battery, which gives it an awfully long range, and lightening fast acceleration. The flagship model with its 85kW battery and high performance all wheel drive, will take you 407km’s on a single charge, and will accelerate from 0 – 100 km’s per hour (according to Tesla) in a mere 3.1 seconds. Need to find a charging station away from home? Shouldn’t be a problem. There are 444 Supercharging stations in the US and 2465 Superchargers, which will charge the Tesla within minutes. And charging it is free! The Tesla Model S costs from $57 500 for the entry-level 70kW model in the US.

 

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