CHARGE taking EVs off-grid in the North West

CHARGE has commissioned the first of its impressive off-grid EV charging stations in the North West.

Located on the N12 between Klerksdorp and Wolmaransstad, it seems an odd location to pilot the first of South Africa’s off-grid EV charging stations. But its location makes sense when considering actual South African journey dynamics.

Few current EV owners have the confidence to use their vehicles for authentic destination tourism. For journeys beyond South Africa’s urban borders (the ‘road trip’ idea), South Africa needs better high-capacity charging network distribution.

Off-grid from the start

CHARGE’s mission is to create a network of powerful EV charging stations at 150km intervals. The distance-to-demand ratio on that rollout is data-guided, and CHARGE offers a power-up source independent of Eskom. Or any carbon-intensive power generation.

Load-shedding might have miraculously ebbed this year, but the global pressure on governments to incentivise and manage carbon-neutral power infrastructure isn’t ebbing.

CHARGE is trending ahead of the market by creating technically relevant zero-carbon charging infrastructure. And it’s commercial-grade high-capacity charging – not simply a compliance effort.

All the power your EV needs

The Wolmaransstad CHARGE set-up features very potent 200kW CSS-standard ultra-fast chargers. It’s the calibre of charging power that the latest generation EVs, with their 800v electrical architecture, thrive on.

The plug-in capacity for Wolmaransstad totals six DC fast-chargers and two AC charging points for plug-in hybrids. With the average EV battery capacity between 50- and 80kWh, those 200kW CSS-standard ultra-fast chargers at Wolmaransstad can easily repower your EV to full charge in just over 20 minutes. That allows for rapid recharging in the time it would take to stretch the legs, have a snack, and comfort break.

Featuring a neat farm stall service store, it’s a much better experience than waiting for an hour or more as a mild-capacity recharger tries to re-energise your EV.

Capacity for all conditions

Energy for the CHARGE Wolmaransstad station is generated by 480 bifacial solar panels, harvesting South Africa’s excellent solar radiation resources.

But what about nighttime? The Wolmaransstad CHARGE charging station has a 546kWh liquid-cooled battery that provides charging when the primary solar yield is too low. There’s also a layer of additional redundancy with a 250kVA generator that operates on hydrotreated vegetable oil, instead of diesel.

There is a lot of noise in the EV ecosystem and many dreamers. But few doers. CHARGE promised a lot over the last two years, and with the Wolmaransstad charging station running and ready for peak driving season, it’s proved the ability to deliver.

Herman Charles Bosman would have loved this. It empowers EV road trip weekends into one of the world’s great wildlife and cultural communities, The Groot Marico.

*Formerly known as Zero Carbon Charge, the company recently rebranded.