More than half of the African continent is desert / arid, while the rest is semi-arid, or the equatorial climate. On average though, the African climate can be said to range between hot-dry to warm-wet, a demonstration that you more often than not, will experience intense heat here. And with environmental degradation on the rise, global warming on the verge and the imminent desertification of most of the African continent, which automobile qualities are, or will be fit to operate here? So, just about what do you need to know about the dynamics of play between the African environment and your automobile qualities?
We take a dive to analyze these factors as they are ultimate in automobile selection for this rather ’serious’ climate. I chose to start with a somewhat trivial one here. Paint color!
Paint color
For it to be said to be among the best automobiles for this climate, I bet, your car must provide you comfort. But what has this to do with the car paint color? A lot. Excessive heat for instance is a nagging nuisance-imagine this in the hot Kalahari Desert! Paint color affects the rate of heat absorption by the car. Physics has it that, dark bodies are good absorbers and emitters of heat energy. For this reason, a dark painted car will just literary punish you under the African skies. Bright surfaces are poor absorbers (good reflectors) of heat. The advice here is that you paint your color white if you intend to use it on the African continent to escape the ‘hot’ punishment.
Battery lifespan
Someone said that the hot African climate and cars will not mix well. He had a point. The battery of your car is one critical area that you cannot afford to overlook. Batteries depend on chemical reactions in order to perform and produce energy. Chemistry has information that the rate of chemical reactions increases with temperature. The higher this rate of chemical reaction is, the faster it will take to have the chemicals depleted thus rendering the battery unusable anymore. Models that assure quality long-lasting batteries are the wise choices here without a doubt.
Tire pressure against temperature?
A hot climate, a rough tire for optimal service is a valid philosophy. The quality of the automobile tires is of utmost importance, but it is likely to be affected by other physical factors such as temperature. Temperature affects the pressure dynamics in the tires. Consequently you need to constantly check the pressure levels against temperature to avoid tire busts when temperature rises.
I did not get a more persistent picture than that of a white Toyota Land Cruiser throughout the entire thought process. The color, as I have put, is white, one you do not fear about in the African climate, the tires are rough and durable, and the make is just hardy for the climate. The Hummer too is not very shy of a similar fete or class.
