More EV charging stations to be installed across SA

In South Africa, Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption has been slow, but sales have steadily increased year on year since 2020. It’s good to know that while demand for EVs increases, so does the number of charging stations across the country. 

 Key players commit to expansion of Electric Vehicle charging network

Several key players have committed to installing new electric charging stations at strategic points across the country. Most recently, Audi announced that it added 43 new electric EV charging stations in South Africa, adding to the 70 stations it rolled out in 2022. The new charging stations would allow 57 vehicles to charge simultaneously, regardless of model or brand. 

Other notable developments include Jaguar’s commitment to installing 82 charging ports along major routes and at popular holiday destinations, as well as BMW’s existing 230 charging ports across the country. 

Many of these stations use solar power, which helps to mitigate the impact of load shedding. This helps to keep the charging stations optimally operational. 

 Local company invests in rural EV charging network

South African company, Zero Carbon Charge, will also make use of solar panels to create a national network of ‘ultra-fast’ electric car chargers in rural South Africa. The aim is to build charging stations every 150km on routes outside of the country’s main urban centres. 

According to MyBroadband analysis, 82% of the country’s charging stations are in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Less populous provinces like Limpopo and Northern Cape have only three charging stations each, while the North West has seven. There are two charging points in Botswana and Namibia.

While these numbers are still low, they are five times higher (419%) than what was available in December 2019. A manual count by MyBroadband came to a total of 280 within South Africa’s borders.