AUDI SA in partnership with GridCars has made an undisclosed investment to install ultra-fast charging stations across the country through publicly accessible sites. The 150kW public chargers initiated by Audi will be the first for the South African market. The charge points will provide up to 150kW of direct current (DC) to charge electric vehicles; meaning that its Audi e-tron 55 (with a 95kWh battery) will charge from 10% to 90% in approximately 30 minutes. As part of this, Audi will invest in setting up 70 new EV charge connectors across 33 sites in order to expand on the existing public charging network in South Africa, for all electric vehicle drivers.
Local public charging
These publically accessible charging stations will offer all EV consumers, regardless of vehicle ownership, the latest, state-of-the-art charging technology available in South Africa.
Investing in the country’s charging infrastructure to support the shift to future EV ownership is critical to its success.
Audi says that the installation of the local charging project has already commenced and includes:
- Four 150kW (DC) ultra-fast charging stations, enabling +/- 340km in 30 minutes. These are planned for placement along major highway routes such as the N1, N2, N3 and N4.
- Five 80kW (DC) fast charging stations, enabling +/- 185km in 30 minutes, also planned for location on major highway routes such as the N1, N2, N3 and N4. One of these chargers will close a long-standing gap (Richmond) in the route between Johannesburg and Cape Town.
- Twenty-four 22kW (AC) fast charging stations, enabling +/- 100km in about one hour, at public lifestyle and recreational venues across the country.
- A total of 70 connectors will be available from the above charging stations, further growing the public charging opportunities for all EV drivers.
“GridCars, established in 2009, operates and manages the most extensive network of public charging stations across the country and the partnership and additional investment with Audi not only expands the network, but allows it to be upgraded with additional ultra-fast charging opportunities is a first for our country, for all EV drivers, regardless of brand or vehicle model. The possibilities for EV adoption in South Africa are already positive and through this partnership with Audi South Africa, we are hoping to further progress the EV journey and tackle the challenges around charging, range and accessibility,” Winstone Jordaan, Managing Director at GridCars explains.
