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Say the word ‘saving’ and most people will be sold.

But what if we said Eskom has a plan to help you make a saving with an electric car versus a petrol/diesel car?

It changes things a bit, but we’re going to hear Eskom out regarding its new proposed power tariff plan.

If this new proposal materialises, South African drivers might be able to save hundreds or thousands of rands per month from car running costs if they switch over to an electric vehicle (EV).

MyBroadband reported an analysis of the costs of filling up the most fuel-efficient petrol, diesel, and hybrid cars in the country compared to the cost of charging various EVs with the new tariffs. It found the latter to be way more cost-effective.

Given the frequency of load shedding, Saffas are naturally sceptical of the electrification of their cars, unsure how charging would work when a blackout strikes.

But EVs can be charged quickly and still gain enough range for a little commute. Plus, if you are willing to pay a premium over your home electricity charges, there are also rapid chargers available in some public areas where you can charge at a much faster rate.

The other argument for EVs in the face of load shedding is that the vehicle can actually become a sort of backup power source if need be.

Take, for example, Ford’s F-150 Lightning, which has power output sockets with enough vooma to support some power tools.

Regarding Eskom’s tariff plan – it will introduce additional fixed capacity costs and do away with the Incline Block Tariff (IBT), which will make the price per kWh of electricity cheaper for the average and above-average consumer, especially those who will be using more for the EVs.

Eskom is also proposing an optional residential time-of-use tariff called Homeflex, which could add saving benefits if you time your car charging well:

Eskom said this tariff would provide the correct pricing signal for EV charging and usage depending on the hour that batteries are charged.

“So if charged in off-peak hours, these charging costs will be at a much lower rate than the tariff rate in a peak hour,” Eskom said. “This also greatly incentivises the use of alternative energy sources to also charge EV batteries.”

The off-peak months are between September and May, with June to August as the higher demand months.

The standard tariff for the low demand months will be R1,04 (between the hours of 8AM to 5PM and 8PM to 10PM on weekdays, or 7AM to 11AM and 6Pm to 8PM on Saturdays, or 6PM to 8PM on Sundays) compared to the off-peak tariff of R0,77 ( 12AM to 6AM and 10PM to 12AM on weekdays, or 12AM to 7AM/ 12PM to 5PM and 8PM to 12AM on Saturdays, or 12AM to 6PM and 8PM to 12AM on Sundays).

So basically, filling up an EVs’ 77,4kWh battery from 0-100% would cost just R59,92 if you only charge it overnight on the off-peak tariff during the winter and summer, for example.

You can check out more about the Homeflex plan here.

Since Eskom has factored EV adoption into its future projections for growth in demand, it’s hard not to see more EVs as a part of SA’s future.

[source:mybroadband]