South Africa’s first Eskom-free electric car charging station, Zero Carbon Charge coming soon

Zero Carbon Charge is on track to complete South Africa’s first fully off-grid electric vehicle (EV) charging station by June 2024, as revealed by co-founder and director Andries Malherbe. The company initiated construction of its inaugural EV charging site along the N12 between Klerksdorp and Wolmaranstad on the 20th of November 2023, with plans to finish 120 such charging stations by September 2025. 

Each charging site will incorporate a charging station, a farm stall, parking facilities, restrooms, and a botanical garden. Unlike existing EV charging stations in South Africa, Zero Carbon Charge’s stations will be entirely powered by solar and batteries, independent of Eskom’s grid. In the absence of solar or battery power, the stations will draw from generators fueled with hydrotreated vegetable oil, emitting 90% less carbon than diesel. 

These stations address concerns related to load-shedding and coal usage by utilizing energy generated from clean sources. The charging infrastructure will comprise 720 DC “ultra-fast” chargers and 240 AC chargers for plug-in hybrids, with the DC chargers capable of charging EVs in 20 minutes. Zero Carbon Charge is collaborating with partners, including land and farm stall owners, to secure sites and funding for the ambitious rollout, estimated to cost R1.8 billion in the first phase. 

By the year 2022, the company had already secured agreements for land in the Northern Cape and Western Cape. Landowners hosting charging points will receive 5% of the generated revenue, contributing to local socio-economic development initiatives. Additionally, each station is expected to generate between 100 and 200 jobs. Zero Carbon Charge envisions a second phase focusing on building an off-grid charging network tailored for electric trucks.