Current situation:
My wife drives a 15-year-old Hyundai i10 automatic, 90k km on the clock. She only drives from Randburg to Sandton and back, and petrol costs around R2k/month.
I drive a Fortuner. I work from home 3 days a week, but we use the Fortuner over weekends for braais, kids' parties, etc. Diesel for weekend driving alone is probably R1,000 to R1,500/month.
We also have small boys, and the i10 can barely fit one cricket bat in the back, never mind safety features.
The plan:
Yesterday I took the boys to test drive the Geely EV2 at Geely on Beyers Naudé, and I'm sold. My wife would use it for the Sandton commute 3 days a week, and we'd also use it over weekends instead of the Fortuner, saving on diesel, wear and tear, and giving us better safety for the kids.
I have a decent solar setup at home, so I reckon I can cover about 75% of charging costs from that.
The savings angle:
My wife will pay me the R2k/month she'd have spent on petrol into a managed savings account, and I'll add another R1k/month, so R3k/month total. Over 8 years (matching the battery warranty) at 7% interest, that account should grow to roughly R384,000, and that's without even factoring in rising fuel prices.
I'll be buying the car cash, no financing.
Am I mad, or does this actually make sense? Keen to hear thoughts from anyone who's made a similar switch.
My wife drives a 15-year-old Hyundai i10 automatic, 90k km on the clock. She only drives from Randburg to Sandton and back, and petrol costs around R2k/month.
I drive a Fortuner. I work from home 3 days a week, but we use the Fortuner over weekends for braais, kids' parties, etc. Diesel for weekend driving alone is probably R1,000 to R1,500/month.
We also have small boys, and the i10 can barely fit one cricket bat in the back, never mind safety features.
The plan:
Yesterday I took the boys to test drive the Geely EV2 at Geely on Beyers Naudé, and I'm sold. My wife would use it for the Sandton commute 3 days a week, and we'd also use it over weekends instead of the Fortuner, saving on diesel, wear and tear, and giving us better safety for the kids.
I have a decent solar setup at home, so I reckon I can cover about 75% of charging costs from that.
The savings angle:
My wife will pay me the R2k/month she'd have spent on petrol into a managed savings account, and I'll add another R1k/month, so R3k/month total. Over 8 years (matching the battery warranty) at 7% interest, that account should grow to roughly R384,000, and that's without even factoring in rising fuel prices.
I'll be buying the car cash, no financing.
Am I mad, or does this actually make sense? Keen to hear thoughts from anyone who's made a similar switch.
