The recurring power outage in Nigeria is the reason most Nigerians are sceptical about buying an electric vehicle. “What happens if NEPA refuses to bring light?” People ask. It’s bearable living without light until you have to go out with your car but can’t due to a power outage. That’s the stressful part of owning an electric car in Nigeria.
For hybrid cars or gasoline-powered cars, stopping by the filling station is an easy solution when you’re running low on the range, but that isn’t an option if you have an all-electric vehicle. When you can’t recharge your car, it limits the distance you can go, and that can be dangerous in the event of an emergency.
What Do I With With My EV When There’s Power Outage in Nigeria?
According to Tesla, not having power out of your house isn’t the end of the world. If your car is plugged into the charging station when the power outage occurs there are some safety mechanisms in place to protect your car from a surge. But that doesn’t really help you get the battery recharged. The obvious solution is to travel to the nearest charging station, which doesn’t really sound all that helpful for someone living in Nigeria where the number of charging stations is only few and not accessible to all.
Depending on where you live, a charging station might not be a reasonable solution. Whether you are completely out of electric power or there is an outage because of NEPA antics, traveling to charge your electric car can be a challenge in Nigeria. Another less-than-helpful tip is to simply wait until the power outage was resolved.
The Disadvantage of Electric Cars in Nigeria
The ability to find a reliable energy source is one of the biggest downsides of owning an electric car in the country. While some manufacturers offer charging stations where you can stop and recharge your vehicle, they aren’t as common in Nigeria. On a long road trip or out running errands, it can be a hassle to find where to recharge.
New Solution for Electric Car Owners in Nigeria
The simple answer right now is that there really isn’t an efficient way to recharge your electric car in the chance of a power outage in Nigeria, and it’s still a big enough problem that owning EVs in Nigeria poses.
Having a generator or energy storage at your home could help to recharge your electric vehicle, but their capacity is so limited that most people would rather use it for other things. You could use a generator to keep your refrigerator running and even recharge your car, but there are problems in doing that.
Conclusion
Electric cars are still gaining popularity from what was an almost non-existent market, so it makes sense that even the major problems haven’t been resolved. Over time it is likely that electric cars will continue to rise in popularity, and manufacturers will continue to make an effort to resolve issues regarding charging, including during power outages.
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