Heels & Horsepower Magazine

Here are the full results of South Africa’s first open-road EV range test

Exactly how far is an electric car able to travel on a single charge in real-world South African conditions at a steady 120 km/h?

A new benchmark evaluation answers this very question, putting three locally available electric vehicles (EVs) – the Jaguar I-Pace, BMW i3s and MINI Cooper SE – to the test in a first-of-its-kind, simulated open-road range assessment.

This inaugural test which took place at the Gerotek High Speed Oval in November 2021, sets a national benchmark for each of the three battery-powered variants. It lays down a historical reference point to look back on and allows consumers to evaluate battery performance advancements as more EVs are added to the local market each year.

While the maximum claimed range of any given EV is well advertised, the new test provides an indication of just how far consumers would be able to go on a single charge if they were driving non-stop at the national speed limit on a characteristically hot day in South Africa.

Whereas the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) cycle that automakers use to calculate advertised range includes a combination of urban, suburban, rural and highway driving scenarios, as well as prescribed acceleration phases and a set number of stops, the Annual South African Electric Car Test, which was charged by AutoTrader, concentrates solely on open-road driving.

It thus removes regenerative braking – a recovery system that redirects what would otherwise be lost kinetic energy back into the battery during deceleration, boosting overall range and rendering EVs especially well-suited to stop-start city driving – entirely from the equation.

Considering it has the greatest net battery capacity at 84.7 kWh (this is effectively the usable portion of the standard 90 kWh pack) and a claimed upper-end range of 470 km, it’s little surprise the Jaguar I-Pace achieved the most impressive distance on the day, circling the Gerotek High Speed Oval in Gauteng for a total of 277 km, 311 m at a true average speed of 119.9 km/h.

This sort of range could be equated to driving from Johannesburg to Pretoria and back twice, with plenty of mileage to spare.

According to PlugShare, there are as many as 71 charging points within a 3.2 km radius between these two points, illustrating the fact that South Africa’s larger metropolitan areas are better stocked with charging options than many might believe.

The BMW i3s e-drive REx (the test was conducted with this derivative’s range-extender fuel tank emptied) finished on 168 km, 527 m, with its GPS-verified average speed settling on 120.02 km/h, while the MINI Cooper SE was just behind on 147 km, 730 m at a true average speed of 119 km/h.

With net battery capacities of 37.9 kWh and 28.9 kWh and advertised ranges of 285 km and 215 km respectively, these two new-energy hatchbacks are designed to excel at city driving rather than out on the open road, so their final results are by no means underwhelming, particularly when one considers the average daily commute for South African car drivers is a mere 22 km one way.

The three sub-R2.5 million EVs available to purchase in South Africa at the time of the inaugural open-road simulation were driven in their respective eco modes – Eco for the I-Pace, Eco Pro in the case of the i3s and Green for the Cooper SE – from a fully charged state, with each one’s air-conditioning system set at 21°C on auto (the ambient temperature at the track on the day was recorded as 28°C).

“While we believe it’s important to set an official benchmark in South African conditions rather than relying on typically cooler European testing scenarios, our broader aim is simply to educate local consumers.

Range anxiety is a hurdle many potential buyers face and this test will help them form a better understanding of the variations in range when it comes to EVs,” explains AutoTrader’s CEO, George Mienie.

“Owing to our familiarity with traditional petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles, we’re used to equating stop-start city driving with high fuel consumption, and highway cruising with better economy, but the opposite proves true for electric cars. This is the sort of interesting information the test highlights, helping inform consumers as EVs become more widespread in our market,” concludes Mienie.

Meet the 2020 AutoTrader Car of the Year Semi-Finalists

South Africa’s premiere motoring journalists have voted. So too have members of the public. The votes have been tallied and 25 semi-finalists have been announced for the 2020 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year competition.

One of these semi-finalists will win the most sought-after title in the South African automotive industry, that of 2020 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year. 

“The 25 vehicles hail from 16 different car manufacturers, and they include anything and everything from family runabouts to sports cars, and from luxurious sports utility vehicles (SUVs) to bakkies,” reveals Rubin van Niekerk, chairman of the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ).

Some of the vehicles on the list have already won major international accolades. The Jaguar I-Pace, for instance, made history when it won an unprecedented three awards – World Car of the Year, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year – at the 2019 World Car Awards. “Were it to win the 2020 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year title, it would be the first electric car to take top honours in the 34-year old competition,” notes AutoTrader CEO, George Mienie.

In most competitions around the world, journalists don’t get together to physically drive the vehicles

– GEORGE MIENE, CEO – AUTOTRADER

The Mazda3 has recently been named Supreme Winner at the 2019 Women’s World Car of the Year Awards. It also scooped the 2019 Thailand Car of the Year and the 2020 China Car of the Year trophies, while the Toyota Corolla has recently been named a 2020 European Car of the Year finalist.

AutoTrader became the title sponsor for the competition, organised by the SAGMJ, in 2019 – and it has facilitated the successful consumer vote. According to Mienie, public interest in the competition is intense. “This year, the number of public votes by AutoTrader’s car buying consumers has more than doubled. This is a clear indication that South Africans want to have their say in these top motoring awards,” he comments.

And which vehicle did they vote for? “Of all the semi-finalists, the car that received the most public votes was the Mazda3,” Mienie reveals.

Now that the semi-finalists have been named, voting for the finalists will commence; for the first time in the competition’s history, consumers will be able to vote alongside motoring experts. A special event in Johannesburg on December 4 will reveal which cars make up the 14 finalists.

This event will be followed by the test days in March 2020, when 27 of South Africa’s top motoring journalists (our Editor, Vuyi Mpofu being among them) will put the vehicles through their paces. According to Van Niekerk, this is one of the most important components of the competition. “In most competitions around the world, journalists don’t get together to physically drive the vehicles. They simply score them electronically or on paper. In South Africa however, journalists spend two full days evaluating every single aspect of each finalist – from design, technology and engineering to handling, safety and value for money; followed by the final scoring. Our methodology is both thorough and extremely scientific, and yields the most deserving category and overall winners,” he added.

Commenting on the list of Finalists, Vuyi said she was delighted to see the Mahindra in the running, adding that the brand had worked hard to establish itself in the market, “Making it onto the list is not only a huge vote of confidence for Mahindra, but also a clear demonstration that even though South Africans are extremely particular about the brands they drive, they are fair and open to acknowledging vehicles which are not ‘main-stream’. 

The category and overall winners will be announced at an event hosted by AutoTrader in April 2020.   Herewith a list of the 2020 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year semi-finalists

Audi A1

Audi Q3

BMW 3 Series

BMW 8 Series

BMW X5

Citroën C3 Aircross

Ford Ranger

Ford Ranger Raptor

Hyundai Atos

Hyundai Santa Fe

Jaguar I-PACE

Kia Sportage

Mahindra XUV300

Mazda3

Mercedes-AMG CLS 53

Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan

Mercedes-Benz GLE

Mitsubishi Triton

Peugeot 5008

Subaru Forester

Suzuki Swift Sport

Toyota Corolla Hatch

Toyota RAV4

Toyota Supra

Volkswagen T-Cross