Could off-grid charging catalyse EV transition in Africa?

From the newsletter

Zero Carbon Charge, a South African charging infrastructure developing company, released its brochure for off-grid charging in September. The company stated that without developing off-grid charging, South Africa would need an additional 10-15% of grid capacity. This also applies to many African countries, where the EV transition would demand the addition of grid capacity.

• Zero Carbon Charge is developing 120 off-grid charging networks for electric vehicles, powered by renewable energy.  The charging stations will be approximately 150 km apart, servicing all national routes in South Africa. 

• Each charging location will incorporate solar panels, a battery energy storage system, an ultra-fast EV charger, and a safe and convenient refreshment facility with restrooms.

More details

• South Africa's grid has long been plagued by load-shedding due to insufficient capacity to meet demand, although there have been recent improvements.  

• The growing transition to EVs will further increase grid demand. If all vehicles in South Africa were electric, the country's energy needs would significantly increase by approximately 88.49 TWh.    

• Across Africa, governments are in the early stages of planning for the transition to EVs, with current demand still low. 

• However, many African countries face challenges with unreliable grids, frequent blackouts, and insufficient capacity to meet existing demand.  

• A mass transition to EVs with grid-based charging could overload these grids, although some have the capacity to handle a gradual transition.    

• Recognising this challenge as an opportunity, companies like Zero Carbon Charge in South Africa and CrossBoundary in Kenya are building off-grid charging stations.

• CrossBoundary has partnered with Ampersand, a motorcycle company, to build solar-powered battery charging and swapping stations.    

• Zero Carbon Charge is taking a modular approach, starting with a minimum viable product for a nationwide rollout.  

• The first phase will see the development of 120 off-grid charging stations along South Africa's national roads (18,200 km) and some regional routes, serving both passenger and commercial EVs up to 8 tonnes.  

• The second phase will expand the network based on power demand, targeting more regional and urban routes.  

• This project is estimated to reduce carbon emissions by 25 million tons over the next 20 years, with each EV charged using their system saving an average of 5.8 tons of CO2 equivalent annually.

• Zero Carbon Charge wants to partner with farmers to lease their farms for setting up solar panels and charging stations. This would help promote the adoption of electric vehicles in agriculture and allow farmers to earn revenue through the leasing of their farms.

Our take

• Africa's abundant potential for solar and wind energy presents a significant opportunity to expand EV adoption beyond urban areas.  Utilising remote lands and highways as solar hotspots for charging stations offers a strategic solution to address the main challenge of EV charging in Africa.

• Given the frequent commuting patterns of many Africans between urban and remote areas, building off-grid charging stations, especially fast-charging ones, would alleviate range anxiety and encourage those who can afford it to switch to EVs.

• In general, off-grid charging would make it easier to reach even remote areas where the grid is nonexistent. This would give rural motorcycle riders the option to choose between electric and ICE motorcycles. As the motorcycle industry is the largest in Africa, this would offer a fast option to transition to EVs.