In addition to the 70 EV live charging connection points, 57 cars can be simultaneously electrically charged at the 43 new stations Audi South Africa has brought online in partnership with Rubicon.
The latest rollout includes the first DC 200 kW ultra-fast charger at the Mall of Africa.
The second phase of infrastructure investment comprises four 100 kW (DC), eight 60 kW (DC), five 25 kW (DC) and twenty-five 22 kW (AC) fast EV charger installations at locations across the country.
The commissioning of the first and second phases of charging infrastructure means that Audi partners, GridCars and Rubicon, have installed 76 fast and ultra-fast EV chargers across South Africa, representing about 28% of public charging stations in the country.
“The rollout of our second phase of EV charging stations is the next step in realising our vision of sustainable mobility and living our mantra that the ‘Future is an Attitude’,” says Sascha Sauer, Head of Audi South Africa.
Greg Blandford, Director of Rubicon Energy & E-mobility, says that as public interest in EVs grows, so will the drive to integrate charging infrastructure, renewable energy, and energy storage systems.
With South Africans dealing with the load-shedding scourge, it is worth pointing out that the charging network also capitalises on solar to keep the charging stations optimally operational.
The CEO of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, says while many challenges pose a barrier to the adoption of EV technology in South Africa, there are as many solutions as possible.
When deciding if EV vehicles are the right fit for your fleet, it is crucial to look at the challenges and pit them against possible solutions.
While considerable long-term savings is a core appeal, the initial outlay required for EVs remains a barrier to entry.
Higher import costs and a lack of local development create significantly higher charges than internal combustion engines (ICE). Currently, only premium vehicles have the EV option in South Africa.
Is there a solution?
• Affordability depends on economies of scale – in 2023, approximately 20 models will be available compared to less than five models at the start of 2022.
• Internationally, price parity with ICE vehicles may come to life as early as 2025.
• While concrete moves are yet to materialise, the government’s import tax on EVs Green Paper is finally gaining traction.
• There is talk about the increasing development of EV components in Africa which supplies a large portion of natural resources essential to its products, such as copper.
A worldwide concern is that charging infrastructure may not be readily available.
“Yet, according to Deloitte’s 2022 Global Automotive Consumer Study, only 11% of Americans intend on using public charging facilities,” says Herbert.
“In a country behind in development, this does pose more of a challenge here. The prospect of not charging your vehicle overnight because of unreliable power infrastructure creates a somewhat different degree of concern.”
Various solutions are here or coming:
• Audi is installing 70 ultra-fast public charging stations that will fully charge a car in less than an hour at 33 different sites between Johannesburg and Cape Town and public recreational areas.
• Jaguar is installing 82 charging points in primary hubs and popular holiday routes.
• BMW has 230 charging points.
• ZimiCharge has an app to find charging points along routes. They also plan to install 10 000 charging points, with at least 1 000 to be available within the next three years.
• Mordor Intelligence expects significant investment in EV power capacity over the next decade in Africa.
Ultimately, the change to EV is not ‘if’ but ‘when’.
Audi continues to make a concerted effort to reduce its environmental footprint and lead the way for the rest of the automotive industry. The charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is growing, and Audi South Africa strives to ensure that its customers can continue their journey in an eco-friendly way.
