Electric car garages way of future

With the ever-rising costs of fuel prices, the thought of trading in your gas-gussler for an ecofriendly electric car is becoming enticing – and property developers are beginning to make this decision even more of a no-brainer.

“Especially since the eco-estate trend has seen such a popular uptake, many of the more upmarket housing developments are beginning to construct homes with built-in charge stations in the garages.

“We foresee this trend growing in line with the growth rate in popularity and demand for electric vehicles in South Africa,” says regional director and chief executive of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, Adrian Goslett.

Depending on the brand and capabilities of the chargers (the chargers voltage normally range from around 16A to 32A dependant on the power capacity of the home) home installations can cost anything between R9,000 and R25,000.

The actual electrical installation costs anything between R4,000 to R8,000.

The variation in cost usually depends on the distance to the distribution board and the extent of any civil work needed. Finding a home that already has built-in chargers will save homeowners a sizable amount of cash and will increase the value of a home once the demand for these vehicles aligns with global trends.

In Amsterdam, almost every homeowner parks their cars at an electric parking spot.

At Ikea in Vienna the parking lots have plug points for electric cars, so you can park and charge your car while shopping.

This evolving trend might take a while to pick up in South Africa.

Currently there are only a few electric cars on roads, as they are often too expensive and carry the stigma of not having as powerful an engine, compared with a petrol or diesel car.