The Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) is to invest nearly $5.8 million in a local off-grid electric vehicle (EV) recharging technology. The Zero Carbon Charge (CHARGE) business is developing a network of fast EV charging points that use solar power solely, without having to rely on South Africa’s national electricity grid.
DBSA has carried out the necessary due diligence for the agreement with CHARGE. The first two solar EV charging facilities will be installed in October 2025, with the funding from DBSA paying for a further five of the CHARGE solar power EV charging points to be built.
The use of off-grid charging facilities would deliver a major benefit in South Africa, which has suffered from power outages and problems with the national grid for some time. The lack of investment in South Africa’s electricity grid over many years, combined with an increase in power requirements, has resulted in serious issues in recent years. Power outages are not unknown for South Africa’s largest cities, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Using solar energy for off-grid charging would provide a reliable charging solution for South Africa’s EV drivers.
Zero Carbon Charge has plans to construct a total of 120 of the solar EV charging stations across South Africa once the programme is complete. Around half of the planned stations should be commissioned by the end of 2026 if the firm meets its schedule. The plan calls for solar charging points for EVs located at distances around 30km apart on major routes between key cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Kimberley, Mbombela, Bloemfontein, Polokwane and Pretoria.
