Zero Carbon Charge (CHARGE), in partnership with the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape (AIDC-EC), together with the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, broke ground on the province’s first off-grid, ultra-fast, green electric vehicle charging network.
This marks a significant milestone in South Africa's efforts to build a sustainable transport network that contributes to climate emission reduction.
The network in the Eastern Cape 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.
Zero Carbon Charge will be investing a total of R11.4 billion in the roll-out of the electric vehicle charging stations in the Eastern Cape. This forms part of its broader project of building a national network of 120 off-grid electric passenger and light commercial vehicle charging stations and 120 electric truck charging stations.
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 vehicles 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.
It is envisaged that construction of the charging station at Wagon Wheels Farm Stall on the N6 will start in the first quarter of 2025. It will be one of five other Zero Carbon Charge charging stations in the Eastern Cape that will be rolled out simultaneously.
This marks a significant milestone in South Africa's efforts to build a sustainable transport network that contributes to climate emission reduction.
The network in the Eastern Cape 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.
Zero Carbon Charge will be investing a total of R11.4 billion in the roll-out of the electric vehicle charging stations in the Eastern Cape. This forms part of its broader project of building a national network of 120 off-grid electric passenger and light commercial vehicle charging stations and 120 electric truck charging stations.
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 vehicles 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.
It is envisaged that construction of the charging station at Wagon Wheels Farm Stall on the N6 will start in the first quarter of 2025. It will be one of five other Zero Carbon Charge charging stations in the Eastern Cape that will be rolled out simultaneously.
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You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
Unknown
Electric vehicles (EVs) have introduced a whole new vocabulary into motoring. Instead of simply talking about litres of fuel, cylinders and kilometres per tank, motorists are now confronted with kW, kWh, AC, DC, WLTP, regenerative braking and a host of other terms.
Zero Carbon Charge (CHARGE), which is building a national network of off grid, ultra-fast EV charging stations powered by renewable energy, has welcomed the latest new energy vehicle (NEV) sales figures, saying they confirm a trend it has tracked for several years.
South Africa's transition towards electrified mobility continued to gain momentum during June 2026, with 3 045 new energy vehicles (NEVs) sold, representing a 104.2% increase compared to the 1 491 units recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
