Eskom Launches First Electric Vehicle Chargers

Eskom has officially launched its first electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the Eskom Academy of learning (EAL).

The project requires the ownership of 20 electric vehicles from light delivery vehicles, to trucks for operational use. To do so, the project will need 10 charging station installed at five Eskom sites around the country.

The new installed charging stations are in partnership with Gridcars and are 60 kW Direct Curren (DC) fast chargers and are Dual Alternating Current (AC) chargers that are 22 kW which are sized for overnight charging and daytime use, while allowing employees and visitors to charge their electric cars if needed.

Eskom’s aim is to achieve zero carbon emission by 2050 while growing the local EV market.

The sites where the stations are currently in:

• Midrand, Gauteng
• Brackenfell, Cape Town
• Mkondeni, Pietermaritzburg
• Tlhabane Customer Network Centre (CNC), Rustenburg
• Marathon CNC, Mbombela

According to Nedbank, to fully charge an EV will cost R200 for 400 km, or 50 cents per km in electricity at average municipal rates. And the EV tax in South Africa is currently at 25% on import tax.

Eskom said the initiative highlights its support for the government’s efforts to align South Africa with the global EV ecosystem market. These sites will be a foundation for Eskom Distribution’s long-term strategy to electrify the whole fleet by 2040.