With Pricey Petrol, SA Scooter Firm Says ‘Go Electric’
With fuel price inflation causing such alarm in South Africa that the government and central bank have been taking action to soften the impact on consumers, Fezile Dhlamini proposes an alternative solution: a three-wheel electric scooter. Dhlamini is the founder and CEO of Green Scooter, which sells and leases the scooters and also provides so-called “last […]
With fuel price inflation causing such alarm in South Africa that the government and central bank have been taking action to soften the impact on consumers, Fezile Dhlamini proposes an alternative solution: a three-wheel electric scooter.
Dhlamini is the founder and CEO of Green Scooter, which sells and leases the scooters and also provides so-called “last mile” home delivery services to small businesses such as fast food outlets in Johannesburg’s townships.
The scooters, which resemble tuk tuks with a stylised design of curved lines, are manufactured locally, with a Swedish firm acting as a technical partner.
“People can use the vehicles to generate an income and take more money back home because they don’t have those fossil fuel troubles,” said Dhlamini, who had the idea for Green Scooter after his job applications were rejected by Uber.
Petrol and diesel prices have gone up by a third in South Africa in the past 12 months and are forecast to accelerate further, prompting the treasury to extend cuts in fuel levies and the central bank to raise interest rates.
Green Scooter has sold or leased 60 vehicles since it launched in 2018, and the pace has accelerated in recent months as fuel prices have soared, Dhlamini said. His target was to reach 160 units by November.
The scooters can be charged from ordinary electric sockets, which Dhlamini says makes them a practical as well as an environmentally friendly alternative to the motorbikes commonly used by other last mile delivery operators.
South Africa has struggled for several years with electricity shortages that sometimes result in “load-shedding”, or planned power cuts. Dhlamini said electric scooter users could overcome this challenge by using Uninterrupted Power Supply units, devices that can store electricity when the power is on for it to be used when it is off.
He said his advice to his clients was to “always think in survival mode” and plan ahead for load-shedding.
(Reuters Production: Sisipho Skweyiya, Shafiek Tassiem)