Egypt shuts power supply to Chinese fast chargers

From the newsletter

The Egyptian government has discontinued electricity supply to Chinese-standard EV fast charging stations as the country shifts to European fast chargers. This will leave around 80% of Egyptian EV users to search for alternative ways to charge. Four-fifths of all EVs in Egypt come from China and much of the EV infrastructure is built to cater to them. 

• South Africa and Egypt are the only countries so far to set specific standards for EV chargers on the continent. This could prompt others to do the same for uniformity.

• The choice of a charging standard is key as it could determine where a country will be buying its EVs from. Egypt’s choice of the European standard gives European EV manufacturers an edge in the market.

More details

• In addition to switching off power supply to fast chargers that do not use the European charging standard, the Egyptian government has instructed EV importers—both commercial agents and individuals—to adhere to the European charging standard. This move aims to ensure national compatibility, safety, and technical efficiency across Egypt’s EV infrastructure.

• Europe uses CCS2 protocol — a unified plug and communication standard widely used across Europe and parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Egypt’s move sidelines the bulk of existing fast-charging units that run on China’s GB/T standard — prompting pushback from industry players.

• The charging protocols differ not only in the physical design of the charger plug, but also in communication between the charging station and the vehicle. The protocol serves a dual purpose, transferring electrical current from the station to the car while facilitating the exchange of data, such as the station’s output capacity, battery temperature, and real-time battery metrics.

• This however does not mean that Chinese vehicles could not be charged in Egypt. The problem will only be in fast-charging, and this can be solved with a simple modification to install an adapter (which costs around $1,500) that converts the Chinese protocol to the European standard. However, this adaptation could affect the longevity of the car’s battery.

• Besides Egypt, South Africa also has a prescribed standard for EV chargers. For DC conductive charging, South Africa has specified Configuration Type AA (CHAdeMO) and Configuration Type FF (COMBO 2/CCS2) as the allowed configurations for domestic, industrial, commercial, and public access charging stations.

• Concerns over plug types are however expected to reduce over time as many EV chargers are now designed to accommodate multiple plug types. These are often called multi-standard chargers and are equipped with various connectors to cater to different EV models. This flexibility ensures greater compatibility and convenience for EV users. 

• In 2024, China's EV production reached 12.4 million units, making it the world's largest EV manufacturing hub, accounting for over 70% of global production. This means that most EVs in the world use the Chinese charging protocol, including those exported to Africa.

• China has established a major lead in the African EV market, mainly due to the lower cost of Chinese-made EVs. Several Chinese EV companies have entered the African market, including BYD, NETA Auto, and XPENG, while others have announced plans to join the rapidly growing market.  

Our take

• The charging protocol wars for DC faster chargers could accelerate the use of AC chargers due to the compatibility issues at public chargers. AC chargers are slower and are mainly used to charge EVs at home, especially overnight, lessening the need for speed. 

• As Africa’s EV market grows, countries will face increasing pressure to harmonise standards, ensuring seamless cross-border mobility and reducing infrastructure incompatibilities. We could also see lobbying by Chinese manufacturers and local charging providers for policy reconsideration, citing disruptions in the existing charging ecosystem.

• Multi-standard fast chargers are the future of fast DC charging. These chargers are already gaining traction globally, and could be key to the adoption of EVs in Africa by accommodating all EV regardless of the charging standard they use.