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Construction at Waggon Wheels Farm Stall EV charging station will start in the first quarter of 2025
An investment of R11.4 billion is set to pave the way for the Eastern Cape’s green economy through EV charging stations.
This follows Zero Carbon Charge’s (CHARGE) collaboration with the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape (AIDC-EC) and the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, which broke ground on the province’s first off-grid, ultra-fast, green electric vehicle charging network.
The network will consist of 29 sites, 18 of which will be dedicated to electric passenger and light commercial vehicles, while 11 will be for off-grid electric truck charging stations.
CHARGE stated that it will invest a total of R11.4 billion to roll out electric vehicle charging stations. This is part of its broader project to build a national network of 120 off-grid electric passenger and light commercial vehicle charging stations and 120 electric truck charging stations.
The building of the charging station at Waggon Wheels Farm Stall on the N6 is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2025. It will be one of five Zero Carbon Charge charging stations in the Eastern Cape that will be installed simultaneously.
“The development of the 11 sites for solar-powered electric truck charging stations will be completed on a route-by-route basis, similar to the launch of the N3 Electric Highway planned between Johannesburg and Durban.
“Crucially, both electric passenger and light commercial vehicle and electric truck charging sites will be completely independent of Eskom’s predominantly coal-powered grid, which means they will be green and completely loadshedding-proof,” they said.
Creating job opportunities in the Eastern Cape and transitioning to an EV green economy
This investment is expected to generate more than 1,000 jobs across many construction and maintenance sites, directly contributing to inclusive growth, job creation and the transition to a green economy.
According to CHARGE, the demand for this charging infrastructure is only set to grow as there will be around 120,000 electric vehicles on South Africa’s roads by 2027 and 360,000 by 2030.
Executive Chairman of CHARGE, Joubert Roux, stated that the project is a large-scale, national carbon emission reduction initiative that can contribute towards the country’s carbon emissions reduction targets.
“CHARGE estimates that if we fully migrate the vehicle fleet currently registered on the government’s E-NATIS system to electric vehicles charged with solar power, we could reduce the country’s carbon emissions by over ninety-seven million tonnes of CO2e per year,” he said.
Sharing his sentiments, AIDC-EC CEO Thabo Shenxane said this is a significant step forward for the province.
“Not only in terms of technological advancement but also in positioning the province as a hub for sustainable transport solutions. Transformation to a low-carbon economy is not only about climate change but also about ensuring the province remains economically competitive whilst maintaining the principles of Just Transition.” |
