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Last week was a proverbial sh*tshow for the taxi sector and regular South Africans alike, as the Cape Town government wrestled with an 8-day strike that impacted all areas of the local economy and peoples’ livelihoods. While we’ve all understandably been preoccupied with economic sustainability this side of the SA taxi conundrum, a handful of researchers have turned their big brains to another concern: ecological sustainability.

In a groundbreaking leap toward greener transport, an electric minibus taxi has reached completion and is poised to grace SA’s streets after undergoing rigorous road safety testing. The vehicle was once a run-of-the-mill petrol-guzzling van, but has now been completely adapted to go without gas.

The green geeks who managed to make this seemingly impossible feat a reality include Stellenbosch University researchers and Rham Equipment, who secured funding for the project through the South African National Energy Development Institute.

The decision to retrofit or convert a petrol or diesel minibus to an electric vehicle was driven by its cost-effectiveness compared to procuring new vehicles, as explained by Professor Thinus Booysen from the Department of Industrial Engineering at Stellenbosch University. Makes sense. Maybe decommissioned taxis could get a new lease on life this way in the future.

That being said, using a vehicle not initially designed for electric power means removing the internal combustion engine, petrol tank, gas pipe, and radiator prior to the installation of an electric “kit” by the engineers.

A remarkable feature of the recently-tested electric minibus is its capacity to harness energy generated during downhill motion or deceleration. Consequently, the van boasts an estimated range of around 120 km and a top speed of 120 km/h. Armed with a 90kW electric motor power and a 53.76kWh battery capacity, it checks all the boxes when it comes to load and driving requirements comparable to traditional internal combustion engine minibuses.

Additionally, a 20kW charger equips the minibus for efficient recharging in slightly over two hours. My phone doesn’t even charge that fast!

While these vehicles’ performance is anticipated to improve with technological advancements, concerns arise over their potential impact on the grid. We all know that Eskom is pretty unreliable when it comes to planning ahead for access to power, and the influx of electric vehicles could strain the already overburdened grid.

That being said, we can put our faith in the engineers and inventors out there, as talks about a project exploring the prospect of electric minibuses feeding power back into the grid is on the horizon.

With climate change being a hot topic worldwide, the ingenuity of the new electric taxi can perhaps provide a glimmer of hope during a time when the word ‘taxi’ feels likes swearword.

[source:news24]