GR aims to go greener by the kilometre

GEORGE NEWS - He is a self-confessed petrolhead, and with his hands firmly gripped around the steering wheel of a BMW iX1 xDrive30 M Sport, one of the finest electrical vehicles in South Africa, Garden Route District's Mayor Andrew Stroebel couldn't contain his excitement.

"If I can change my mindset, maybe others will too, and that could make a real difference," he said at an electrical vehicle seminar last Friday, 20 June, where role players from the Western Cape government shed more light on their strategy for the implementation of new energy vehicles for the next decade. Leaders in the industry gathered at Africa Skills George Tech, who co-hosted the event with the GRDM.

Motorists might be used to electrical vehicle charging stations all along the N2 at filling stations, but Stroebel has his mind set on something different. "The Garden Route is a destination that speaks to everybody's soul," said Stroebel.

"How lovely would it be to have a charging station at the Cango Caves, Meiringspoort, Delfino's at Mossel Bay? While you charge your vehicle, you can enjoy local restaurants and the scenery. It is a collaboration between tourism, economic development and business," said Stroebel, who stressed the GRDM's aim to invest in tourism and economic development.

"Through the seminar, we can educate and roll it out to the public so that they, too, can enjoy the new technology that is available in the Garden Route."

Stroebel said their mission is to join hands with the private sector.

The CEO of the UXi Artisan Development Group, Elsie Harmse, and Mayor Andrew Stroebel.

Green hub

He said he wants to see the George Airport as the green hub of South Africa. "Everybody can fly into George, rent an electric vehicle and enjoy all the tourist sites we have on offer, from Calitzdorp to the beaches in Still Bay. That's our vission - to offer something that has not yet been offered in South Africa today."

The CEO of the UXi Artisan Development Group at Africa Skills, Elsie Harmse, said they want their students to be on the forefront of innovation.

"When they go out to the workplace, they need to be familiar with the latest technology and knowledge. Where better than in George, with the GRDM? We will be happy to handle the training."

The acting chief director of the Western Cape's Mobility Department, Anthonie Janse van Rensburg, said their real commitment is to cleaner air and an investment into sustainable ways. The transformation of the government's fleet to electrical vehicles has been set in motion.

Udi Oby of Group Editor’s digital department, Leon Bodenstein, BMW’s dealer principal, and social media influencer Nikki du Toit. Photo: Michelle Pienaar