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Female Entrepreneur Set to Revolutionize Transportation for All of Africa, After Transforming her Native Ghana - Good News Network (www.goodnewsnetwork.org)
submitted 1 month ago by TehBamski@lemmy.world to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world
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[-] atro_city@fedia.io 33 points 1 month 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@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month 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.

[-] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month 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@fedia.io 0 points 1 month ago

going electric has so many benefits

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

[-] Nouveau_Burnswick@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

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

[-] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago

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

[-] BlackLaZoR@fedia.io 6 points 1 month 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.

[-] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month 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@fedia.io 2 points 1 month 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@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks 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

[-] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month 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@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month 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.

[-] notfromhere@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

Just curious on why you need to drive 300 miles on a single charge? Is it because you don’t wish to stop during the trip, is there no charging infrastructure along this particular route, or something else?

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 weeks ago

Unless you are born into great fortune, you have to work for 5 days out of every 7. The time in those remaining two days is extremely valuable to most people who just want to visit family/friends.

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

I just got back from a 1,200+ mile road trip. The first leg was 450 miles and my trip planner scheduled a 20 minute stop and a 15 minute stop. Yeah it’s a little longer than otherwise but really not much. Combine them with meals and it’s no delay at all

Edit: in an ICE car I would have made one of those stops and grabbed fast food, so the difference was 15 minutes. No big deal

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 weeks ago

Yup, I’ve had a lot of successful and pleasant long-distance EV trips as well! However they aren’t all like that because most people don’t live in a top-5 country travelling along routes as old as their country. I can’t wait until that doesn’t matter but the current infrastructure and tech just makes you sound like the kind of person that asks starving children why they chose to be born poor.

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks ago

True, I assumed a developed country.

I this case I did assume US but also that most developed countries have at least as good EV infrastructure and many are much better. While half of my trip was urban areas with many more choices, the other half was rural and still not inconvenient

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

My guy, I live in California and even did stuff at the NUMMI factory before it made Teslas. EVs aren’t even a universal solution here yet, at the birthplace.

[-] voracitude@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks ago

Like @ayyy@sh.itjust.works said, I work 5 days. This road trip is a thousand miles, at least; I have done it in a single stretch, but that would be even less possible in an EV just because of the increased charge times. I do it in two days now, which means a stop every ~250 miles, and I like a healthy ~50 mile margin of error because I don't wanna get stranded in the desert if the battery capacity dropped without my noticing somehow.

So, four stops over two days - that's reasonable, that's what I've got with my gas car which gets me there Sunday evening if I leave Saturday morning, in time to start work Monday. More stops means I get in later and have less time to get settled, or maybe I can't make the trip in two days at all, so no trip.

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 weeks ago

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

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 weeks ago

Yes everyone lives in a single family home that they own.

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 2 points 4 weeks 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

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks 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@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month 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@lemmy.sdf.org -1 points 1 month ago

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

[-] Nouveau_Burnswick@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month 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.

[-] version_unsorted@lemm.ee 3 points 1 month ago

Sex even. Apparently it is too hard to call someone a woman.

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works -5 points 4 weeks 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…

[-] dillekant@slrpnk.net 1 points 4 weeks ago

Where were you for Theranos mate?

this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2024
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