South Africa expands solar powered charging for trucks

Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Serikzhan Kovlanbayev

Zero Carbon Charge, a company based in Cape Town, South Africa, has begun developing solar-powered charging hubs for heavy-duty electric trucks along the key highway between Johannesburg and Durban.

This follows a pilot project in which the company fully charged two heavy-duty electric trucks supplied by China’s SANY Trucks at the same time as four passenger EVs powered solely by solar energy, the Associated Press reported.

The project along the 570-kilometer N3 route is supported by a $6.2 million investment from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). Once completed, off-grid charging stations will be built every 150 kilometers along the highway.

Charge co-founder Joubert Roux said the next step is to focus on the N1 corridor between Johannesburg and Cape Town, bringing off-grid ultra-fast charging to more of South Africa’s main long-distance routes.

Despite various challenges, including delays in obtaining regulatory approvals for new sites, high import duties, truck certification requirements, and a limited availability of EV trucks, Roux said that «this model can reduce emissions while strengthening energy security.»

Meanwhile, Tesla is preparing to begin mass production of its electric truck, the Semi, which can cover about 800 kilometers on a single charge. However, the price of the truck has yet to be announced.