The landscape has quickly changed with regards to electric vehicles in South Africa. If you would have told me that driving from Johannesburg to Durban in one of the lowest priced EV’s would be possible even a year ago, I would have questioned it profusely.
But with the influx of affordable EV’s and HEV’s, and an increased presence in charging infrastructure, we are now in a position to rethink our transport energy needs and driving patterns.
The challenge with EV’s in South Africa was generally:
- Low range
- High price
- Lack of charging infrastructure
By 2026, these have all become less impactful as they were before. Range has improved, prices have come down (with new models and new brands), and charging infrastructure is growing, with various companies providing charging points in cities and long-distance routes. Yes, it is not as commonplace as filling stations, but its growing steadily and is very useable at this moment.
My journey started with my gearbox dying on my 15-year-old car. Around the same time, the Geely E2 was being launched and the specs showed a small but spacious car that was capable of city driving and some long-distance trips. I test-drove it to ensure it would meet my needs, and it seemed to handle my driving situation and style well. Having another petrol car made the idea of an EV as a second vehicle feasible and decided that I will ‘take the plunge’, and ordered it.
When it arrived, I mandated myself to use it solely for a month daily and ignore my ICE vehicle – learn the car, its pros/cons/limits. I managed successfully without any stress or concerns. The silver lining of our unfortunate years spent with loadshedding is that many people invested in solar installations for their homes – me included – and sometimes have excess solar power. This allows me, with a 5kW inverter, to charge my car during the sunny days when I work from home straight from solar while using the grid overnight if needed.
Thereafter, I thought it would be a good time to test out a long-distance drive and planned a trip to Durban. Having heard of Zero Carbon Charge and following their charging developments, I also saw they were trying to gather data from driving stats using their chargers and signed up to stop off solely on their chargers on the N3 route! I was nervous – never driving long-distance with my electric car and concerned of the range and the lower efficiencies at highway speeds. Luckily, the stops were spaced approximately 200km from each other and the car is rated at 325 km which I easily achieve when city driving. I made an assumption of ‘30%’ less range on the highway so it seemed manageable!
Setting off on Saturday, 12 September 2026 with a 100% battery SOC, I reached the first stop at Leeukop with 73km range remaining. Being a bit anxious, I had set my cruise control to 115km/h. The next stops were spent at the marked speed because the descent improved on my efficiency, and I made it to Durban with 68km remaining and an overall efficiency of 13.74 kWh/100km. Charging took approximately 40 minutes at each stop to get back to 100%.
A week later I travelled back and it was time for the ultimate test…uphill! I also decided to be brave and make my first stop of at the Tugela Zero Carbon Charge point from Durban – 222km away. I made it with 2% SOC (8km range) remaining. This was quite nerve-racking, but I wanted to test the car and the charge location. Realistically, a 10–15-minute stop in/around Pietermaritzburg to charge would have alleviated any discomfort. The next stop was not as stressful and I got home with 37km range remaining having an uphill efficiency of 17.19 kWh/100km. Overall, I travelled 1 219 km with an efficiency of 15.46 kWh/100km.
It was an eye-opening experience with a lot to learn about an EV, an EV in South Africa and where the struggles may lie. Infrastructure growth is key, charging times matter, and route planning is essential when using this technology in our beautiful country. Talking to people on the way about EV’s and getting so much positivity has been amazing. I also had the pleasure of meeting the founder of Zero Carbon Charge, Joubert Roux, while stopping off to charge, and also became their 1000th charge! It is such an achievement for them, and the numbers will keep growing quicker over time.
Being a consult and in data analytics, I also had a great chat about data in this space and used the data provided and further data gathered to create a Power BI dashboard that analyses the long-distance and city-driving trips, providing insights with real driving data. This can be found here for your viewing:
We have a long way to go but we have already come so far, and with the current trajectory and a positive attitude about EV’s, renewables and energy infrastructure in the country, we can really elevate the idea of transport in South Africa.
