Powering the Future of Travel at Drostdy Hotel

We’ve come a long way since Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first steam-powered automobile capable of transporting people in 1769. In 1870, the first gasoline powered combustion engine was developed by Siegfried Marcus and later the four-stroke petrol engine was patented by Nikolaus Otto. In 1885, the first “production” vehicle, powered by a single cylinder four-stroke engine, was developed by Karl Benz. In perhaps the best-known development in the evolution of the motor vehicle, the first automobile to be mass-produced on a moving assembly line was created by the Ford Motor Company in 1913.

Interestingly, according to an article titled, The History of the Electric Car by the USA’s Department of Energy, a number of innovators from various countries dabbled with the concept of battery-powered or electric vehicles over the years, as early as the 1800s. In the second half of the 19th century, however, French and English inventors managed to build some of the first practical electric cars but the growing popularity of electric cars took a knock with the introduction of Ford’s Model T cars.

In recent years, the electric car has gained a place in the spotlight once again with the release of vehicles such as the Toyota Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle, and Telsa’s Roadster and subsequent models. Research suggests that by 2020, electric vehicle sales could grow to 6.6. million per year worldwide.

We spoke to Janus Schoeman, the General Manager at Drostdy Hotel to find out more about the electric car charger, powered by Jaguar, that was recently installed at the hotel:

When was this cutting-edge piece of equipment introduced at Drostdy Hotel? It was installed in October 2018, as part of Jaguar’s electric car charging network in South Africa.

Are there specific car brands that this charger is compatible with? The charger is able to charge any electric cars (Jaguar, BMW, Volvo). For now, few people can afford to purchase these types of cars but I’m confident this will change as electric cars become a more popular alternative.

Why is this significant for Drostdy Hotel? Drostdy Hotel is among the first hotels, if not the first, in South Africa to have this futuristic device on its premises. It’s the way forward and where the world is moving to. A number of high-end cars like BMW i8s have been introduced in South Africa and now they can be driven practically. We’re tremendously excited to host these trendy travellers at Drostdy Hotel.

For more information on Drostdy Hotel, click here or keep an eye on Newmark’s Instagram account.