Dear Editor, CleanTechnica
We at Zero Carbon Charge (CHARGE) believe we achieved a world first by commissioning a green EV charging station fuelled entirely by solar power on the 28th of November 2024 in the Northwest Province of South Africa.
It is completely off the South African national grid (Eskom) and consists of an ultra-fast DC charger with three user terminals. Each user terminal has a 200 A and a liquid-cooled 500 A CCS2 connector and can charge an EV at up to 240 kW. There is small generator for back-up when our normally sunny skies turn grey for a few days.
The solar array of 480 panels can generate a 280 kWp output which is stored in 550 kWh capacity batteries.
The site is called CHARGE Wolmaransstad; it features a Deli called Farm Flair and is situated on the N12 national highway between the towns of Klerksdorp and Wolmaransstad (about 290km from the capital Pretoria).
This is the first of 120 stations we intend to roll out at 150km intervals on national routes in 2025–26.
At present there is a slow uptake of EVs in SA, but we believe that if you build it they will come. We are extremely proud of this landmark we have built.
But we might be misguided and full of ourselves; if any of your CleanTechnica readers has or knows of anyone else who has established a similar working project we’d love to hear from them.
Yours sincerely,
Tim Sandham
Information Manager, CHARGE
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