• atro_city
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    334 months ago

    The bikes are sold under an affordable payment plan of around $23 per month for 18-24 months. They cost around $13.5 per month in electricity to charge, a huge drop from the $250 in gasoline that comparative petrol-powered delivery bikes cost.

    Now that’s a real cost saving right there! Wow.

    But I think it’s going a bit far to say she’ll revolutionize transportation for all of Africa. They are present, from what the article seems to imply, in a single city in Ghana and only just expanding.

    • @grue
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      4 months ago

      But I think it’s going a bit far to say she’ll revolutionize transportation for all of Africa.

      Maybe going a bit far to say she will do it, but they’re right that what she’s doing will do it. That is, of course, because e-bikes will revolutionize transportation on all the continents (except Antarctica) and there’s no reason for Africa to be an exception to that.

      Shame about the “plan to launch a four-wheeled vehicle” part, though – that’s just trying to repeat North America’s mistakes.

  • Diplomjodler
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    214 months ago

    If only people would realise that going electric has so many benefits. But people are so heavily propagandised that they just refuse to see the simple truth.

    • BlackLaZoR
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      04 months ago

      going electric has so many benefits

      It has the lot of downsides too. Like charging time, or high battery cost

      • @Nouveau_Burnswick
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        124 months ago

        An electric car uses 10-20x more batteries than a PEV, the downside is cars, not EVs.

      • Diplomjodler
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        04 months ago

        Have you ever driven an EV or where do you get this sort of “information”?

        • BlackLaZoR
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          64 months ago

          where do you get this sort of “information”?

          Look at the specs sheet of EV cars. The best case fast charging scenario is like 20 minutes to 60-80%. And you can’t count on the best case scenario every time. Gas station refueling is just much faster.

          As for cost, literally 60 seconds of searching:

          https://www.cbtnews.com/replacing-a-tesla-battery-costs-and-options-explained/

          “Estimates suggest that the batteries for the Model S cost between $12,000 and $15,000. After labor charges, the total repair cost is about $20,000 to $22,000”

          I did my research - and ultimately decided public transport is the best solution where I live.

          • Diplomjodler
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            24 months ago

            Most of the time you charge an EV at home or at a level 2 charger nearby. Fast charging is rarely required, except when travelling long distances where it can be a factor, but that’s largely overblown. Also, battery swaps after very rarely required and noisy if there time the battery will last the lifetime of the vehicle.

            My point is that you’re cherry picking negative points here while it’s obvious that you have no practical knowledge of the topic. And of course public transport is always a better option, if that is available to you.

            • BlackLaZoR
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              24 months ago

              Most of the time you charge an EV at home or at a level 2 charger nearby.

              I have neither a house, nor I have access to any fast charging station nearby.

              the battery will last the lifetime of the vehicle

              That’s not given some battery packs will last long, some won’t. Warranty on batteries is a sketchy thing because it’s difficult to say whether capacity drop is a design flaw or just wear and tear from heavy usage

              you have no practical knowledge of the topic

              I have as much knowledge as I researched the topic. EV is a big nope for me.

              • @AA5B
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                14 months ago

                Assuming off street parking, you may still convince your landlord or HOA to install chargers - make a business case for it.

                My ex’s HOA just took such a proposal seriously: they got quotes, explained it’s covered by the reserve, and put it up to vote. It did get voted down by the membership, but it’s up to you to convince enough members

              • Diplomjodler
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                04 months ago

                I always find it funny when people go through a lot of contortions to explain why they don’t want an EV. If you don’t want an EV don’t buy one. Nobody cares.

                • @voracitude
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                  44 months ago

                  Uh, if you look at the top of the thread, blacklazor just said there are downsides to EVs in response to a post that made it sound like it’s all upside. They’re not “going through a lot of contortions”, they’re answering questions in good faith. They don’t have to have driven an EV to know it won’t work for their situation, and they detailed why.

                  Me, I want an EV, I just don’t have the money and I need at least 300 miles of range before having to charge. It’s not “range anxiety”, I do long road trips annually so I need to drive that far on a single charge no matter what my fuel is.

                  If you don’t want an EV don’t buy one.

                  They already said they aren’t.

                  Nobody cares.

                  The number of replies to the guy in this thread show that to be a lie.

                • @[email protected]
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                  14 months ago

                  What’s the point of writing this comment? Other than because you care about other people’s choice of vehicle?

          • @AA5B
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            24 months ago

            Charging at home most of the time means no wait, plus much cheaper. I’m so happy to never again have to goto a local gas station!

            Battery replacement could be expensive but probably not necessary. A recent survey found tenants of my car still had 85% battery capacity after 250,000 miles - most people never put that kind of mileage on a car.

            I was on a recent road trip where the route planner recommended stops as short as 4 minutes to optimize total travel time. For the longest I’ve, it scheduled a charge at a mall, and was ready before we even got to the food court.

            Sure, on the few days a year I’m on a road trip more than 150 miles each way, charging takes longer than gas fill ups but it’s really no big deal, plus more than made up for by charging at home most of the year

        • @[email protected]
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          4 months ago

          I have in fact owned one. I also owned a hybrid electric vehicle within the first year of commercial availability, probably before you were born. (You wouldn’t even believe the amount of dumb shit people spouted at me about batteries back then.) However the trade-offs between different vehicle energy sources is real and tangible. It makes no sense to deny it.

  • @Zachariah
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    64 months ago

    Early this year, GNN reported on the woman behind the wheels of Wahu!, an electric bicycle company and the only native electric vehicle manufacturer in Ghana, Valerie Labi.

    From 100 bikes sold to delivery drivers on a pay-per-week basis, Wahu! has shifted another 200 units, driven down the cost of insurance, and is set in the coming months to unleash Africa’s first native 4-wheeled electric vehicle.

  • xigoi
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    -14 months ago

    Okay, but why does the gender need to be mentioned?

    • @Nouveau_Burnswick
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      134 months ago
      1. it is more impressive due to gender gap and gender inequality indexes on Ghana.

      2. It makes her a positive role model for women in Ghana and other countries.

      3. It’s more flavour to the story.

  • @[email protected]
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    -54 months ago

    It’s pretty fucked up and bigoted to assume the wants and needs of one city apply to an entire continent. I mean good on this woman for milking the ignorant but eww…