SA auto lobby will build its own EV charging stations

From the newsletter

Naamsa, the lobby group for motor vehicle manufacturers in South Africa, seeks to establish EV charging stations for the first time across the country. Its 120 charging stations will comprise a mix of slower AC chargers and faster DC chargers and will be deployed along the main national highways, connecting cities and entertainment zones.  

• South Africa so far has fewer than 400 public EV charging stations. This stands in stark contrast to its 4,800 fuel stations.

• Government approvals for establishing a charging station from scratch in South Africa can take years. Naamsa is seeking to partner with existing fuel stations to bypass delays.  

More details

• Naamsa Chief Projects Officer Shivani Singh said that while the lobby group would prefer exclusively using renewable energy, practicality dictates initial deployment of grid-tied solutions supported by small-scale renewable use. This will decrease the cost of infrastructure build and increase the speed of installation.

• The project has been endorsed by all Naamsa manufacturing, retailing and medium and heavy commercial vehicle original-equipment manufacturers and will be supported by them during deployment, it said. Naamsa is also targeting other revenue sources from the charging stations besides selling electricity. 

• The EV charging industry in South Africa is still in its early growth phase, but it is rapidly evolving as automakers, utilities, and private investors respond to growing interest in electric mobility. Currently, the majority of the country’s nearly 400 charging stations are concentrated in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. 

• GridCars is the leading provider of EV charging infrastructure and software in South Africa, with a network of more than 300 stations. It is the oldest and started as an automotive manufacturer before specialising in EV charging. It has a partnership with Audi and Jaguar for EV charging services for their vehicles.

• Other top charging companies include Rubicon, EVBox SA, BlueNova and ACDC Dynamics, which provide both hardware and software for EV charging. While the majority of these charging firms rely on grid-tied solutions, Zero Carbon Charge is building a network with 120 planned solar-powered charging sites by 2025–26. 

• Motor vehicle manufacturers are also playing an increasingly larger role in expanding South Africa’s charging infrastructure, which remains inadequate despite the growth in EV sales. BMW, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz have funded or co-hosted chargers at dealerships and high-end retail locations, while BYD, Chery, and GWM have announced charging rollout plans this year alongside their EV launches. 

• Despite the planned investments by the likes of Naamsa and Zero Carbon Charge, South Africa’s high import duties and grid connection fees raise the price of charging equipment and installation. Further, the aging infrastructure provided by national power utility Eskom makes it difficult to guarantee reliable fast charging at scale. 

Our take

• South Africa should fast-track permitting processes for EV chargers, especially at existing fuel stations, to cut deployment delays. It should also encourage public-private partnerships to leverage existing sites and infrastructure for quicker rollout. 

• Significant capital investment is needed to enable Eskom and municipalities to upgrade the grid capacity and introduce demand management systems to handle fast chargers reliably and sustainably. 

• South Africa should create a cohesive, government-backed strategy that aligns stakeholders, sets technical standards, and promotes equitable charger distribution beyond urban centers to enable nationwide EV adoption.