Stemit Engagement Challenge S4-W3 | My daily transportations

Daily transportation expenses, air pollution, and electrical vehicle what more can one ask for in one post?

I can think of other things that come in “threes”. Can you?

• The three little pigs
• Three blind mice
• Rock, paper, scissors
• And if we have to think about transport, the tricycle

Daily transportation

I heard a few years ago that “A developed country is not a country where the poor have a car and the middle class has two cars. No, it is a country where the rich make use of public transport“. This is so true.

With the cost of fuel, petrol, and diesel these days it is wise to put measurements in place where you can cut the usage of your vehicle.

We’ve been BMW fans for many years. It was only when my husband started deep sea fishing that we changed to Land Rover Discovery. Both of us had one. When we sold our business we also sold one of our cars. We also planned to move to the coast where we will retire. There was thus no need for us to have two vehicles and definitely not two Discovery’s as the fuel consumption plus the maintenance cost is extremely high.

With our arrival in our new town my husband unexpectedly received a job offer from a company in England which recently opened a remote office in our town. We sat with a problem, one expensive vehicle, a husband that must get to the office, a son who must be taken and fetched from school, and the only public transport taxi service Uber and alike. The latter is the most expensive.

In the end, we decided to buy a scooter, something you cannot ride with when you stay in the bigger cities. What a wise decision it has proven to be. Not only is it saving us money every month but it is also enjoyed by the whole family. Just the right transportation when you live at the coast.

Let’s take a closer look at our monthly savings.

The first comparison I made is between the Discovery and Uber.

Total saving R 2571.36 (South African Rand) STEEM 643,56

The second comparison is our current savings since we bought the scooter.

Total saving R 3370.56 (South African Rand) STEEM 843,59

Total saving between the Discovery and the scooter R 799.20 STEEM 200,02

This is where you can nod your head in agreement that buying a scooter in today’s economic environment was an awesome decision.

The only thing to remember when you are an owner of a vehicle is that fuel is not the only expense you have.

In the end, it is wise to do your calculations when it comes to your transportation. It is wise not to put yourself under financial strain.

Air pollution

What very few South Africans know is that the health of the nation is a must according to the Constitution.

I live in the coastal town of vBallito, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.

According to Iqair.com the air quality in Ballito is relatively moderate.

^{Image Source}

I was curious to know what is causing the air pollution in our area as you expect a clear sky and clean air when living at the coast.

Nearly 20 million tons of sugar cane are produced in our province yearly and mainly within 30 km of the coastline.

Burning the sugar cane has a lot of advantage.

• it is easier to harvest
• it drives away dangers like snakes
• it makes the cane lighter which makes transporting cheaper

It might have advantages but it also has disadvantages.

It is not new for us as residents to wake up in the morning with black smut on the doorstep and a black cloud in the sky.
The burning of sugar cane is a huge contributor to the air pollution of the town.

Unfortunately, this is not the only factor. Over the last few years, residents have been complaining of burning eyes and air pollution hitting the town. There are also often chemical smells hanging in the air. On investigation, illegal dumping sites were discovered.

It came to light that in Ballito the monitoring capabilities of the air quality are almost non-existing with various monitoring stations defective or simply just not working.

The KZN Conservation and Environmental Affairs together with the government was asked to conduct a thorough investigation and to act by implementing the required measurements to reduce air pollution in our area. This will be monitored by local residents and political parties.

As a resident of this beautiful coastal town, I can only hope that all the parties act swiftly.

10 Things I can do to reduce air pollution

Outdoors	Indoors
Drive less with our car	Keep windows open
Save energy	Replace traditional light bulbs with LED’s
Keep our vehicles in good condition	Keep the house dust free
Don’t burn garbage	Buy and use natural products
Plant trees	Keep green plants in the home

Looking after Mother Earth starts at home!

Electrical vehicles

It makes sense to focus on areas where we can make the biggest difference when it comes to air pollution and that will be our transportation. The gas burning vehicles we drive release the most gas in the air.

In most of South Africa we get our electricity from burning coal. The argument will thus be that electrical vehicles use electricity and are no better than gas burning cars. The truth is that the EVs (electrical vehicles) are still a better choice for the environment, climate, and, global warming.

EVs are also better for our health as they don’t release any tailpipe emissions. The gasses released by gas burning cars release harmful air pollutants which can affect not only our lungs but also our hearts.

These vehicles are also by far less expensive to maintain. In South Africa it cost less to charge a EVs per kilometer compared to the cost of fuel. This is if you charge it at your home.

A comparison was done between the BMW iX xDrive50 and BMW X5 M50i by Mybroadband and published on 31 January 2022

BMW iX xDrive50	BMW X5 M50i
Electrical vehicle	Petrol driven vehicle
R1.57 per km	R1.84 per km
0,385 STEEM per km	0,451 STEEM per km

As technology improves so will EVs. I watched a program last week on national television where the presenter took the viewer on a drive with him in an electrical vehicle. These vehicles can now drive further on a single charge than before. They can also drive in any climate and terrain.
I was amazed at the amount of charging stations, even at shopping centres, and how easy it was to conduct the charge.

As demand grows the cost of EVs will drop making them more affordable for the man in the street.

➜ Electrical vehicles are here to stay!

➜ Transportation can be a wise choice!

➜ Air pollution is a must reduce!

I invite:
@simonnwigwe
@mr-sentu
@olabillions

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• Photos of drawings are my own