Maroc - dailynews.co.za - Motoring - 23/Aug 06:31

Eskom rolls out first electric car charging stations as first step towards electrifying fleet

The Distribution arm of South Africa’s power utility Eskom has laid the first foundations for the electrification of its vehicle fleet.Although question marks remain over the feasibility of wide-scale electric mobility in South Africa at present, Eskom Distribution is aiming to electrify its entire vehicle fleet by 2040.As an initial step towards this goal, the division launched its first electric vehicle charging station at the Eskom Academy of Learning in Midrand, Gauteng, on Thursday.The pilot project for its electrification strategy will see 10 charging stations installed at five Eskom sites across South Africa, with the Midrand Academy joined by sites in Brackenfell (Cape Town), Mkondeni (Pietermaritzburg), Tlhabane (Rustenburg) and Marathon CNC in Mbombela.Eskom’s first charging station is located at its Academy of Learning in Midrand. Picture: SuppliedThese will serve an initial fleet of 20 electric vehicles (EVs) that range from light delivery vehicles to small trucks.The charging stations have been set up in conjunction with GridCars, and include 60kW DC Fast Chargers as well as 22kW AC units.These, Eskom says, have been optimally sized for the overnight charging of fleet vehicles, while also allowing employees and visitors to charge their electric cars during the day if need be.Eskom Distribution says this initiative will serve as something of a blueprint for the future rollout of electric vehicles across the company’s entire fleet.“The successful launch of this infrastructure is a result of the dedicated efforts of the project team within Eskom. Their work is laying the groundwork for a future where electric vehicles play a central role in South Africa’s transportation landscape,” Eskom said in a statement.South African sales of fully electric vehicles grew by 85% in 2023, but still made up just 0.16% of the overall market. But the EV market is likely to see rapid growth, albeit off a small base, with the first quarter of 2024 bringing a 42.2% sales increase versus the corresponding period in 2023.Cost remains a prohibitive factor for mass EV adoption in South Africa, but less expensive options are slowly entering the market, such as BYD’s Dolphin at R539,900 and the Dayun Yuehu city car, that kicks off at R399,000, albeit with at top speed of just 100km/h.As for charging infrastructure, the private sector is slowly rolling out public charging stations for EV owners in South Africa.GridCars operates more than 350 fast charging stations across the country, which is believed to be around 70% of the total, and a company called Zero Carbon Charge is planning to roll out a network of off-grid stations across SA’s rural landscape, with an eventual plan to space them about 150km apart.IOL Motoring