Zero Carbon Charge (Charge) has pledged R9,4 billion to develop off-the-grid electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal.
The pledge, announced during the KwaZulu-Natal Investment Conference, includes the construction of a truck charging and battery-swapping route along the N3 freight corridor and 17 solar-powered passenger EV charging stations across the province.
The project is part of Charge’s broader plan to establish 240 renewable energy charging sites across South Africa. Similar partnerships have been established in other provinces including the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Limpopo and Free State.
The initiative will include truck charging and battery swapping stations along the Durban-Johannesburg N3 corridor, marking South Africa’s “first off-grid, ultra-fast EV truck charging sites”, Charge said in a statement. Additionally, a network of 17 solar-powered passenger EV charging stations will be established, spaced 150 km apart, in key municipalities.
Charge and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs have signed a memorandum of understanding. The department and Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal will provide a “one-stop shop” service to reduce regulatory delays and identify additional charging site locations. Key municipalities targeted for the charging network include Alfred Duma, uMngeni and Umkhanyakude, among others, said Charge Executive Chairman Joubert Roux.
“The network’s rollout will help ease the strain on South Africa's national electricity grid, which is primarily powered by coal. Charge’s off-grid approach aims to circumvent this problem by relying exclusively on renewable energy to power the charging stations. This strategy is crucial as the growing adoption of electric trucks could otherwise escalate demand on an already overloaded grid.”
The initiative includes revenue-sharing agreements with farmers hosting charging stations, allowing them to earn up to 5% of the revenue generated with surplus electricity from the installations.
Government incentives play an important role in a successful transition to EVs. “We need a regulatory framework that supports the importation and adoption of EVs,” said Roux, suggesting a six-year tax holiday on EV imports to make them more affordable and accessible for South Africans. “These incentives would drive mass adoption of electric trucks and help South Africa achieve its net-zero transport goal by 2050.”
