Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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During my recent business trip to Shenzhen, China as well as Hong Kong, I suffered at least two asthma attacks that I believe were brought about by the bad quality of the air in those areas. China is of course notorious for its pollution, but there are many signs that they are going in the right way. For example, Shenzhen has a fleet of 10,000 taxis that run on electricity only. They all return to central points, where you can see hundreds of them, charging at the same time before hitting the roads again, but that is the kind of thing that does not even exist in the USA, the UK or any other major markets at the moment. In that respect, China is leading the way in electric vehicles – their sales of electric vehicles were as low as 21,800 in 2013, but by last year that was already at 740,900. In other words, the sales of electric cars are going through the roof and hopefully they will actually start getting sold in big numbers in South Africa. It would be wonderful in particular if fleets of minibus taxis, especially with petrol prices going as they are, could be replaced by safer vehicles running on batteries as opposed to petrol.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Monday 29-Oct-18
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Comments
patrick said:
on Friday 07-Jun-19 03:55 PM
China leads on a number of fronts. This is but many of them and am sure in two years time their cities will be cleaner.
Natasha said:
on Wednesday 12-Dec-18 08:34 AM
I think Electrical cars would be so amazing less pollution in the air , more fresh air for our children to grow up in. It would be so economical. Don't have to worry about petrol prices that go up. I would love to have a electrical car.
Joyce said:
on Monday 26-Nov-18 04:56 PM
I think this is a good step forward taken by China to save it’s people’s lives from air pollution
Ashleigh said:
on Thursday 22-Nov-18 10:57 AM
China is definitely not a place I would like to visit. Not on my bucket list of things to do. Petrol and Electric Bill are same difference I am sure.
Liz said:
on Friday 16-Nov-18 01:54 PM
This is definitely a step in the right direction for China with regards to reducing air pollution. Hopefully South Africa and the rest of the world will follow suit.
Sarah said:
on Tuesday 13-Nov-18 06:55 AM
I dont know about these electrical cars . I am worried about the safely aspect about these cars. What if their system crashes while driving etc. is there ports everywhere to charge the car?
Jadine Richards said:
on Thursday 08-Nov-18 08:22 AM
I wonder about the safety aspect of public charging stations in South Africa if this concept is ever popular here. It would be a hub for criminals!
Henrietta said:
on Monday 05-Nov-18 10:44 AM
I don't know which will be worse, petrol price or electric bill. Imagine having points like a garage where you can charge the car and how long the ques will be and how long it takes to charge the car, will the charge you and will it be? I feel in a way that the electric cars will be a success in South Africa especially with the rate the petrol is going up. It's worth a shot.
Helen said:
on Monday 05-Nov-18 10:19 AM
Very interesting blog to read! Chinese people are suffering from the high polluted air and I do not think that there is anywhere in the world you can find the same place like China with their high level of pollution.
I supposed the electrical cars is the first step to decrease this level!
Lucretia said:
on Monday 05-Nov-18 09:44 AM
I would love to have a comparison drawn between what a car would cost for a tank of petrol and for the same car to be charged to full running capacity if it were electric. Is there a sight one can go onto or an app to download that can give these comparisons. Or, am I being silly in that, the electric cars do not get charged by the same companies that sell us electricity.....
brumilde said:
on Monday 05-Nov-18 07:18 AM
I do hope that SA will start to implement the electric car here. Our fuel prices are sky high. But i do think it will take China a long time to 'make up' for the pollution that is present
Thabitha said:
on Friday 02-Nov-18 04:35 PM
In South Africa we need to sort the problem of our electricity first otherwise we will have more problems.
Jolene said:
on Friday 02-Nov-18 03:01 PM
This is a great solution for pollution but we have to sort out our electricity issues first. Hopefully South Africa will catch up one day.
Zindy said:
on Thursday 01-Nov-18 08:09 AM
I can imagine with all the things they manufacture in China, there would be a lot of pollution going around. Its good they are aiming more towards electric vehicles as they have a very high population in the country which would contribute a lot to ait pollution with so many fuel operated cars driving around.
Brenda Du Toit said:
on Thursday 01-Nov-18 07:42 AM
I must say China always come's up with great ideas if it come to Technology. Maybe with the Petrol price this is not a bad idea.
Sinead said:
on Wednesday 31-Oct-18 03:23 PM
So do you have to build a charging system at home for this? Or are there stations to charge at? How long does one car take to charge? Do you do this overnight?
It's a step in the right direction in terms of the air pollution problem though...
Alexis said:
on Wednesday 31-Oct-18 01:57 PM
That is great news that they are trying to preserve the earth as best they can...unf a lot of damage has already occurred, so it will take some time. But well done on making an effort and better late than never
Melissa van Tellingen said:
on Wednesday 31-Oct-18 01:55 PM
I think we can learn from China in that they always strive to be better than the rest of the world. I must say that I have seen more electric/hybrid cars on the roads these days which is a good sign. The increasing petrol prices will cause more and more people looking to buy these types of vehicles.
Prishani said:
on Wednesday 31-Oct-18 01:48 PM
This concept will work well in SA, I think it will encourage people to use public transport as it will be cheaper, the new look may also encourage commuters to give it a try!
Shristi said:
on Wednesday 31-Oct-18 01:21 PM
I think that the introduction of electric cars is a step forward in attempts of curbing pollution. It will also be much safer in the sense that should there be an accident the chances of the vehicle bursting into flames are much lower..It is going to be very interesting to see how long it takes before South Africans and other countries start using electric vehicles.
Michelle D said:
on Wednesday 31-Oct-18 01:20 PM
In some places in China, such as Beijing, they actually issue smog-air-pollution alerts. These alerts work on different colour levels to inform people how dangerous the outside air is at any given moment. When a first-level red alert goes out it means that the air pollution that day is so bad that the air is not considered suitable for outdoor activities and schools have to close. Some days and seasons are obviously worse than others but it is very shocking to think that it is sometimes unsafe to go outside due to the toxicity of the air.
courtney said:
on Tuesday 30-Oct-18 04:07 PM
Our planet is a bucket of water that will one day go dry. By approaching electric cars as a means of transportation we are looking into a way to ensure that our planet lasts longer than it might. That is something admirable that I believe we should strive to attain.
Megan said:
on Tuesday 30-Oct-18 03:19 PM
Personally I understand that changing from petrol to electric might help the environment somewhat but is it truly more cost effective.
Fikile said:
on Tuesday 30-Oct-18 11:46 AM
China is always inventing something new everyday, most people think it will help reduce the population and i don't see it like that i think it's going to course more and more traffic in a later stage and yes most people will be qualified drivers by the time more electric cars are in being sold in South Africa. It is a good idea to have electric cars but then again we need to stop and remember that South Africa has and electricity problem with all the people forging wires all over to have electricity and also we need to remember that electricity also increases almost every month like petrol.
Mathilda Du Preez said:
on Tuesday 30-Oct-18 07:55 AM
Saving money and the earth at the same time sound like a great idea to me.
Victoria said:
on Monday 29-Oct-18 02:56 PM
I definitely think that electric cars is the way to go, these cars with definitely help with pollution and also help due to the very high petrol price at the moment.
Daniella said:
on Monday 29-Oct-18 12:26 PM
China will always be leading in the world of technology. However the amount of pollution they produce and have in their air is truly problematic! I'm glad that they are taking the steps to minimize the pollution that they create.
Bianca N said:
on Monday 29-Oct-18 10:18 AM
This is awesome. Electric cars would be so much more economical and so much better for the environment! I would personally love to own one someday.
Jessica M said:
on Monday 29-Oct-18 08:56 AM
Oh yes that would be soooooo much better, however it will be very sad for everyone how battles with load shedding. I would prefer that less petrol and pollution but guess we have to get this electricity issue sorted out first.
patrick said:
on Monday 29-Oct-18 08:00 AM
Reducing levels of pollution is the way to go.
Nikita said:
on Monday 29-Oct-18 07:56 AM
SANRAL could have spent the money on building battery power stations rather than e-toll and promote the use of electric cars.
Jessica A said:
on Monday 29-Oct-18 07:41 AM
An interesting read noted the following; 'In 1997, the World Bank issued a report targeting China's policy towards industrial pollution. The report stated that "hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and incidents of serious respiratory illness have been caused by exposure to industrial air pollution. Seriously contaminated by industrial discharges, many of China's waterways are largely unfit for direct human use"
A first world country, in which you cannot drink the water is quite strange? Although our pollution is just as alarming, I am thankful that I am still able to drink water straight from the tap in SA.
As for the use of electric cars, it must be encouraged as the fuel price has made the sheer cost of living in SA beyond all our means. Provided that the electric car will actually be cost effective and not be overpriced, with entry into a new market, it can be a success!
Jadine Esterhuizen said:
on Monday 29-Oct-18 07:38 AM
This is an ongoing health risk which is slowing down as the years roll by. The smallest polluting particles, which pose the greatest health risks was 54% lower in the Chinese capital during the last quarter of 2017 than during the same period of 2016.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
