The City of Cape Town has announced the opening of its second public charging station for electric vehicles, another milestone in making EV usage more viable in the city.
The charging station was opened at the parking area of the Somerset West Civic Centre. This is the second station in the municipality, with the first located at the Bellville Civic Centre.
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According to the city, the sites are safe, convenient, and visible. These features resulted in their choice as locations for the stations.
“The City is supporting the uptake of eMobility and is developing initiatives to help enable the growth of this technology in Cape Town, so that it can become more accessible and rolled out in the future across all transport modes to benefit all of our residents,” the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Phindile Maxiti, said in a statement.
The chargers were donated to the City by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), enabling the creation of the stations.
Both stations in the city are solar-powered.
As a result, members of the public can use the stations to charge electric vehicles for free.
Electric vehicles adoption
The municipality says that it hopes that projects like these will help develop the local green economy to compete globally.
“It is important that South Africa is not left behind and that we remain relevant to markets,” Maxiti said.
While more carmakers are investing in electric vehicles, access to charging stations is an infrastructural barrier that hampers adoption.
But EV technology supported by solar can also provide greener alternatives for public transport and other transport.
Other countries have begun to implement solutions such as electric buses.
Meanwhile, startups in Africa are exploring options such as electric motorbikes and tuk-tuks for local commuters.
Feature image: City of Cape Town
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