In the eighth episode of TechCentral's Watts & Wheels, William Kelly addresses road behavior in South Africa, asserting that many drivers use the left turn signal not as an intention indicator, but as an invitation to overtake. He believes that adhering to lane discipline could save the country time, fuel, and reduce frustration levels.
Duncan McLeod questions the boundaries of applying control systems, such as cameras and artificial intelligence, when determining the necessity for vehicles to stop. These reflections lead into the main interview of the episode.
During the show, William and Duncan cover several topics. They speak with Dylan Fernando, CEO of Tracker, about how the vehicle tracking business is transforming as cars generate significantly more data than was required for locating stolen vehicles, and what happens when AI is applied to this data.
Mathematical calculations regarding the energy system are also discussed: William estimates the Eskom grid capacity at approximately 47 GW against a national fleet of around 13 million vehicles, of which only about 10,000 can be connected to charging. His conclusion is that the EV charging issue is not an Eskom problem, and under current trends, most people will not live to see such a day.
Furthermore, the topic of EV education in South Africa is touched upon: how well buyers understand what they are being sold, and who is responsible for informing consumers.
The episode features the integration of Google Gemini assistant into Volvo vehicles, which has begun rolling out in the US and covers models released since 2020. Fixed voice commands are being replaced by the ability to have a more conversational interaction, such as planning a vacation, finding suitable coffee spots on a route, summarizing incoming messages, or dictating a reply in another language.
Special attention is paid to how Tesla entered the African market. The company established its African base in Casablanca, Morocco, rather than South Africa. Its corporate presence is in Casablanca, and its Supercharger network has been operational since 2021 in Casablanca, Tangier, Rabat, Fez, Marrakech, and Agadir. However, Tesla vehicles are not yet available for purchase through official channels in the region. The hosts question whether Africa is a sleeping giant in the EV sector.
Trade agreements and battery minerals are discussed. India signed a trade agreement with the EU for the automotive industry, while Itac in the country proposes including EV battery minerals in the list of qualified standard materials under APDP2. This is possible with an added value rate of 50% instead of the usual 25%, provided they originate from Sacu or the SADC region. William raises the question of whether these batteries will even be manufactured.
Chinese vehicles such as the BYD Tang, Denza B8, and XPeng GX are also in focus. Additionally, Honda's shift away from its EV development strategy is noted. New models intended for South Africa are appearing on sale, including the Jaecoo J5 and iCaur, as well as the BYD Atto 2 DM-i, a plug-in hybrid whose base version is equipped with a 7.8 kWh Blade battery—a very small package for a plug-in car. The appearance of these models suggests that Chinese brands have changed South African buyers' expectations so rapidly that standards have already shifted.
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In contrast to this technological fluidity, the episode once again presents the new Thula—a locally designed electric gaming display that featured in the fifth episode. The episode concludes with the 'Hot or Not' segment, where a Toyota FJ, BYD Atto 2 DM-i, iCaur, and the Thula gaming display are auctioned off.