You could soon charge an EV in 5 minutes

October 19, 2025

Dear subscriber,

We hope you had a great weekend. Today, we bear good news that should make you worry less about slow EV charging speeds. We also speak with Max, the Nigerian mobility trailblazer. Cheers!

You could soon charge your EV in 5 minutes

Chinese EV manufacturer BYD has announced it will introduce the 1 MW DC fast charger in Africa for the first time in 2026. It is one of the world’s fastest EV chargers and can power an electric car to 80% in five minutes. The company will launch the charger in South Africa, one of its biggest markets on the continent, and install a total of 300 fast terminals. 

  • Range anxiety is one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption globally. The superfast 1 MW charger solves that. It makes EV charging nearly as fast as filling up a fuel vehicle. 

  • None of the current BYD vehicles sold in Africa can support charging at 1 MW. The technology debuted on the Han L and Tang L models in China. BYD now plans to roll them out in Africa. 

  • Our take: For megawatt charging to make a difference, the price of compatible EVs has to come down … Read more (2 min)

Mobility finance company Max has deployed over 10,000 EVs across Africa. Founded in 2015, Max’s bread and butter has been the financing of fuel vehicles. But amid the global transition to EVs, the company read the signs of the times, and is now only financing EVs, says Max’s Head of PR and Communications Oluwatoyin Ashipa in an interview with Mobility Rising. 

  • Max was founded by Nigerian businessmen Adetayo Bamiduro and Chinedu Azodoh. It has evolved from a last-mile delivery service into a comprehensive mobility platform focusing on EVs, offering financing and insurance.  

  • The company is expanding aggressively in West Africa backed by local and international investors. According to Ms Ashipa, Max is eyeing more markets in Africa.  

  • Read our full interview here…(2 min)

Mobility Rising is hightlighting 11 major events where industry experts are converging across Africa between October and December. Many of these gatherings show a continental surge in electric mobility, transport innovation, and automotive technology integration. Most of the expos and summits are concentrated in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.

  • The October events (NEV Summit, Auto Tech Egypt, and Johannesburg expos) focus on tech showcases and supplier networking. Exhibitors will present EV systems and smart mobility tools, inviting cross-border collaboration.

  • In November and December, events like REEV Africa Expo and the E-Mobility Summit highlight infrastructure and policy development.

  • View the list here… (2 min)

Chaja Africa’s Co-founder Norman Karamaga poses with Farm Africa employee in Tanzania

Jobs

👨🏻‍💻 Become a Software Engineer at Balancell (South Africa)

👩🏻‍💻 Join MAX as a Security Control Room Officer (Nigeria)

👨🏻‍💼 Apply for Administrative Assistant’s role at Zembo (Uganda)

Various 

⚡ Ethiopia launches its electric mobility strategy

📈 How to build an e-mobility market in Africa

🚘 Volvo EX60 is coming to South Africa in January

Seen on LinkedIn 

Stella Li, BYD Vice President, says, “By the end of next year, we will have 200 or 300 Flash charging stations in South Africa.”