South Africa''s EV market continues to grow, albeit from a low base. The growth is largely driven by improving technology capabilities, reduced cost of batteries and increased demand for
Wolmaransstad, in the North West province, is home to South Africa''s first off-grid electric vehicle (EV) charging station. The charging station was developed and launched by CHARGE (formerly Zero Carbon
After a year of development, a smart grid pilot project for the energy-efficient charging of electric vehicles (EVs), through battery storage of renewable energy and energy management across a network of charging stations,
2025 Conference The 2025 Battery and Energy Storage Conference for Africa (BEASFA ), hosted by Dr. Jan Swart was a huge success. With speakers: Brian Engle (USA) –Chairman,
Rwanda scrapped customs tax on electric vehicles to make them cheaper, but this led to an influx of old hybrid vehicles with depleted batteries. South Africa has vehicle
Electric vehicles require careful management of their batteries and energy systems to increase their driving range while operating safely. This Review describes the
South African startup Zimi receives a $320,000 (R6 million) grant from EEP Africa to test vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. The project aims to transform electric vehicles into mobile energy storage units,
Road transport remains a key source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in South Africa. The objective of this work is to investigate the status of electric vehicles (EVs) in
The project will support the policy framework and the development of quality infrastructure to promote local manufacturing of electric vehicle (EV) components such as batteries, the
Project Team: Rose Mutiso, Hamna Tariq, Daniel Johansson, June Lukuyu, Audrey Zenner Project Advisors: Murefu Barasa, Michael Dioha, June Lukuyu, Joel Nana
Stakeholders at the groundbreaking ceremony last week. Image: Eskom. South Africa''s main utility and grid operator Eskom has announced the start of construction of its first battery energy storage
Red Sands will be Globeleq''s first Battery Energy Storage Solutions (BESS) project in South Africa but the Group owns and operates a combined solar and BESS plant at
2025 Conference The 2025 Battery and Energy Storage Conference for Africa (BEASFA ), hosted by Dr. Jan Swart was a huge success. With speakers: Brian Engle (USA) –Chairman, NAATBatt International,
A 75MW solar PV plant in South Africa built by Scatec in 2013. Image: Scatec. Renewable energy power producer Scatec has started building three co-located solar projects with 1.1GWh of energy storage in
An Eaton production facility in Wadeville, South Africa is reducing its energy and operational costs beyond its expectations thanks to a microgrid that uses first and second life electric vehicle batteries. The
The LEAP Fund has selected three African and four Latin American e-mobility projects to which it will provide $1.05 million in funding grants. The fund assists organisations based in emerging economies that
The overall aim of the study was to assess the market viability of a utility-scale stationary energy storage with a particular focus on the industrial, commercial transport, local government and
What is the future of energy storage in South Africa? This is according to a new report by the World Bank which says that over the next five years SA is expected to show rapid growth in
Project Team: Rose Mutiso, Hamna Tariq, Daniel Johansson, June Lukuyu, Audrey Zenner Project Advisors: Murefu Barasa, Michael Dioha, June Lukuyu, Joel Nana Overview The Africa Electric
A pilot project to deploy what is believed to be Africa''s first commercial-scale vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging solution is set to begin in South Africa, backed by €280 000
Image: Eskom Eskom, the public utility company of South Africa, has inaugurated a 20MW/100MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) aimed at mitigating the challenging situation facing the country''s
Disclaimer This report has been prepared in fulfilment of a study to undertake a detailed analysis into the local manufacturing capacity and capability for components/parts used in the three
The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is sweeping the world, and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is no exception. Despite the environmental and sustainability narratives
TotalEnergies and its partners are launching construction of a major hybrid renewables project in South Africa, comprising a 216 MW solar plant and a 500 MWh battery storage system to
According to Africa Energy Capital, Morocco expects more EV battery investments with the government in talks to attract more electric battery manufacturers as it seeks to adapt to its growing automotive
Record Growth in the Energy Storage Sector Until 2022, Africa''s annual energy storage capacity remained around 50 MWh. In 2023, it tripled to 150 MWh, and by 2024, it skyrocketed to 1,641 MWh—marking a
In South Africa, there''s a pressing need to hasten the deployment of utility-scale storage projects. According to recent research, South Africa''s energy market is sizable, with power demand reaching
The government of South Africa has signed commercial close agreements for two large-scale BESS projects totalling 720MWh, allowing project backers Scatec and a consortium of CIP and EDF to
A separate solar and storage project Scatec is building in South Africa, awarded to the firm through another procurement. Image: Scatec. Norway-based IPP Scatec has won
In late 2023, Sungrow secured a supply agreement with the French renewable energy group EDF Renewables to provide 264MWh liquid-cooled energy storage systems and MV transformers for the Umoyilanga
The commitment to battery storage solutions is becoming increasingly significant as South Africa faces ongoing energy challenges and seeks to augment the integration of renewable power
And it is all being made possible in South Africa. After a year of development, a smart grid pilot project for the energy-efficient charging of electric vehicles (EVs), through battery storage of renewable energy and energy management across a network of charging stations, has proved successful.
This is the near future for many commuters in South Africa: you’ll drive to work in your electric vehicle (EV), travelling for up to about 200kms on one charge. Once you are at work, you’ll plug the EV charger from your vehicle into a renewable energy charging unit – it’s as simple as plugging an appliance into a socket.
Recharging an EV in South Africa currently costs approximately R30 – R40 for 130 – 150kms travelled. The two 100% electric EVs currently on the South African market are the Nissan Leaf (which already supports vehicle-to-grid functionality) and the BMW i3. Both can drive for up to 200kms on one charge.
The two 100% electric EVs currently on the South African market are the Nissan Leaf (which already supports vehicle-to-grid functionality) and the BMW i3. Both can drive for up to 200kms on one charge. The BMW i3 REX can drive for approximately 300kms, 130 of which are on its 9-litre range extender, petrol engine.
A recent study published by uYilo cited that South Africa currently has 98 EV ‘public’ charging stations across the country, including 77 AC slow chargers, which take 3 – 8 hours to charge a battery, and 18 DC fast chargers, which take about 20 minutes.
Alan Boyd of the BMW Group in South Africa says that since the March 2015 launch of their fully electric vehicles they have sold 142 in South Africa and 60 000 worldwide. Floyd Ramabulana of Nissan says that since the Nissan Leaf’s launch in 2013, they have sold approximately 243 000 globally and 90 locally.
