Cape Town: The Western Cape Government plans to switch its fleet of almost 6000 vehicles which includes ambulances from fuel to electric in a move to decrease its carbon print.
Newly-appointed MEC for Mobility, Ricardo Mackenzie, spoke about the move at an event on Friday and said the change from fossil fuels to electric will happen over a period of time.
"We need to get with the times and be more mindful of the climate crisis we are facing ... this move will enable us to create a more green and clean environment," said Mackenzie who seemed unfazed by the country’s current power crisis.
Eskom was forced to move to stage 6 load shedding as its former CEO Andre de Ruyter’s exit this week.
Mackenzie said he was "well aware" of the power concerns.
"The province is doing everything it can to lower its dependence on Eskom, we will have plans in place to impede such scenarios," he said.
He was also cognisant of the steep costs.
"It will be an expensive process, but totally worth it, we want dololo emissions," he said, adding that he would carefully skim through his counterpart for finance, Mireille Wenger's provincial budget to see how much "we have to play with".
The fleet of vehicles includes, vehicles for public officials, tour buses as well as emergency vehicles, such as ambulances.
The vehicles will partly recharge in 10 to 15 minutes between runs.
The province’s Climate Change Response Strategy has outline the need to accelerate the implementation of actions that would mitigate climate change.
“The response must be well underway by 2030 if we are to achieve the long-term outcomes ... this response will align with provincial priorities of providing safe and cohesive communities, promote job and economic growth, mobility and spatial transformation as well as inspire innovation and culture amongst its citizens,” said the provincial government in its response plan.
“This strategy guides the bold shifts required by 2030 in order to ensure we meet our emissions reductions targets and create social and economic resilience in times of climate destabilisation.”
Mackenzie said he was “aiming” to achieve the goal of reducing emission.
“We are aligning ourselves with our targets to respond effectively to the climate emergency,” he said.
Mackenzie said the Western Cape Government already had a few electric vehicles in its fleet.
“As South Africa we need to drive and build the green economy, the Western Cape was the first province to publish our electric vehicle strategy and have electric vehicles in our fleet,” he said.
But economist Conrad Badenhorst said load shedding would hinder Mackenzie's plans.
"How will you charge these vehicles when there is load shedding?" asked Badenhorst.
"They should maybe invest in solar energy to charge the vehicles ... in theory it's a wonderful and pragmatic plan but you need to keep the overhead costs in mind," he said.
Earlier this month, the African Development Bank Group announced its Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa would provide $1 million technical assistance grant to the Green Mobility Facility for Africa (GMFA).
GMFA provides technical assistance and investment capital to accelerate and expand private sector investments in sustainable transport solutions in seven countries: Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and South Africa.
“Mobility is a fundamental lifeline that connects people to critical services, jobs, education, and opportunities,” said Nnenna Nwabufo the Director-General of the Bank’s East Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office.
“The African Development Bank is committed to building a sustainable and more climate-resilient future by catalysing private investment in low-carbon solutions. We believe GMFA will have a tremendous impact on the African market by accelerating the shift to green mobility, reducing over 2 175 000 carbon dioxide equivalent tons of greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating the creation of 19 000 full-time jobs.”
Weekend Argus