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Zero Carbon Charge has inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) worth R1 billion to develop integrated supercharging systems for the 120 charging stations it is presently deploying in South Africa.

The 480kW liquid-cooled supercharger systems will be supplied by Shanghai Magic Power and Greencore Energy Solutions and will be fully able to integrate with SA’s existing solar generation and battery storage systems.

The charging network will be a first for South Africa, as well as the world.

“This cutting-edge technology means that customers at Zero Carbon Charge’s off-grid, solar-powered charging stations will be able to charge any electric vehicle at its maximum charging rate,” said Zero Carbon Charge.

Joubert Roux, co-founder and director of Zero Carbon Charge, expects the superchargers to arrive in the nation by July.

“Pending regulatory approvals, we are on track to have our full network of 120 solar-powered charging facilities operational by September 2025,” he said.

According to MyBroadBand, the first of 120 charging facilities already began construction in November 2023 with its first charging station in Wolmaransstad in the North West.

“This will be followed by the rollout of around 120 charging stations at 150 km intervals nationwide, with the entire network due for completion in September 2025.”

While there are now 400 public and private EV charging stations in South Africa, with another 300 expected to open in the coming years, the majority of them are linked to Eskom’s grid.

With coal-fired power stations providing the majority of Eskom’s electricity, Roux believes that utilising the utility’s “dirty” power will do little to assist South Africa decarbonise.

“Around three-quarters of our energy supply is from coal-fired power stations,” he remarked. “Just how green are electric vehicles when they are powered primarily by coal and diesel?”

Good question. Solar-powered charging stations will also provide the added benefit of staying online during load-shedding, unlike chargers from many other providers.

The company’s first electric charging station, on the N12 between Klerksdorp and Wolmaranstad, is set to be completed by June 2024.

[source:mybroadband]