A LACK of infrastructure and hefty price tags could be some of the reasons why electric cars are not selling well in SA."Electric cars are not popular, as the infrastructure to support the vehicles is not in place‚" said Cindy Beets of Lightstone Auto‚ which provides new vehicle sales data to the South African motor industry."Hybrid vehicles are mostly in the higher price bands. Therefore, we wouldn’t expect large sales volumes."Further the derivative range‚ as well as their spread across the different segments and body shapes‚ is also spread a little thin; consumers do not have a wide variety to choose from‚" she said.Beets said there were only two 100% electric cars sold in SA. They are the BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf. The BMW sells for R556‚500, and the Nissan Leaf‚ for R474‚900.In 2013 and 2014‚ only the Nissan Leaf was sold in the country. A total of 34 were sold in 2013, and 14 in 2014.In 2015‚ 82 BMW i3s and 35 Nissans were sold. Since launching in March 2015‚ 135 BMWi3s have been...
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