South African 4x4 EV for Game Drives
Oct 11, 2022 7:01 am
South African 4x4 EV for Game Drives
1 min read
Thula Solutions is a Johannesburg-based EV start-up that produces electric 4x4s which are meant to be used in game drives. The company has partnered with Bloemfontein-based vehicle manufacturer Brandt BRV to manufacturer their first electric 4x4 in Bloemfontein.
Thula Solutions currently only offers one car for sale – the ESV (Electric Safari Vehicle). According to Thula Solutions, the ESV achieves a range of 150km on a full charge. A normal game drive only lasts about 30km. It has a 160kW battery pack producing 700nM of torque. As a comparison, a 2022 V8 Toyota Land Cruiser 79 bakkie has 150kW and 430Nm of torque. The 2,5 ton car’s electric motor can take it to a top speed of 206km/h, but has been technologically limited to 120km/h.
The Thula ESV requires 3,5 hours for a full charge and according to Thula, has an average running cost of R1/km. The 4x4 also comes with an 8 year or 3 000 cycle battery warranty.
The ESV is currently available for reservation and is expected to be delivered to customers next year. The company’s CEO, Gary Davies, said that the demand has been so high that it would take them about a year to successfully deliver all vehicles to customers on time. Davies said that the target price for the ESV is R1,25m.
Thula Solutions are currently aiming to produce 20-40 vehicles a month by next year, and desire to be the first to produce a mainstream EV in South Africa.
Full comprehensive review of the Thula: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9SsW_-U-U0&feature=emb_rel_end
What do you think of the Thula ESV? Will this inspire an EV revolution in South Africa? Share your thoughts by replying to this email!
For more information on ESVs or any other energy related articles, view the blog posts on my website and be sure to open my weekly emails every Tuesday at 9am CAT.
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