Where can I find charging stations for electric cars in South Africa?
Looking to join the EV lifestyle, or perhaps a plug-in hybrid will be more to your liking? If you’ll be undertaking any kind of road trip, you’ll want to know where you can charge your vehicle. We take a look at the local charging infrastructure and point you to the right providers and maps to find you a charger, pronto.
It’s one thing to charge your car at home, but if you like to travel, you’ll need to know where you can charge your EV safely and conveniently. The good news is that charging stations are being added regularly and range anxiety will soon be a thing of the past.
How do I find charging stations near me?
If you already own an EV, your car’s GPS will have a handy tool that will direct you to your closest charging station or show you the ones further along on your chosen route. (In some EVs like Volvo, Google Maps features will already be installed. This taps into your car's system to keep track of your trip and calculate usage.)
In most instances, your car's own Satnav will also show you how much power you’ll use to get there or how much you will have left upon your arrival. But if you’re just interested in knowing where charging stations are situated for a stress-free journey, there are a variety of websites, apps, and maps that will indicate where the different types of chargers are located.
Related: Volvo XC40 P6 Recharge Review
1. GridCars Live Map
Gridcars’ interactive map will point out every functioning (and non-functioning) DC (fast) and AC (slow) charger, and you’ll see additional info like load-shedding schedules, amenities, and even a calculator to work out the cost, and so forth. It is the most comprehensive map of EV charging points in SA at this point.
It’s worth mentioning that GridCars is not right 100% of the time—the fast charger in Caledon on the N2, for example, doesn’t always work but shows that it’s online on the map. You can always give them a call if you're unsure. (If you’re planning a mega road trip in your EV, it’s probably best to call GridCars beforehand to find out if the charger is working as it should.)
Gridcars also offers a mobility service through ActiveCharge for cashless charging and payment via an ActiveCharge card through your ChargePocket account:
The ChargePocket is a universal and secure Wallet specifically designed for the payment of EV charging sessions. The ChargePocket offers special features like charging vouchers that can be tied to particular sites, groups of site or time periods; partners can buy vouchers and distribute them to EV drivers for loading on their ChargePocket. EV Drivers can also use their ChargePocket to start, end or monitor charging sessions. - GridCars
2. Google Maps EV Chargers
Gridcars also index EV charging points on Google Maps but in some instances, they will direct you to home chargers too - this happened to a friend who was looking for a charging station. Homeowners are apparently not too keen when you come knocking at their door, requesting a power boost from their home charging network. (Here's how to find EV Charging Stations in Google Maps.)
As we've mentioned, Google is often already embedded in EVs like Volvo, to help you plan your trip down to the last kWh.
3. Electromaps
There’s a list of charging stations per province, which includes the ones added most recently, but you can also download the app from the Google Play or Apple Store. I thought it worked okay-ish but I’d much rather stick with the GridCars map.
Other apps of this kind include Plugshare, Greenlots and Greencharge, for Apple and Android phones, but I haven't tried them out yet. It's worth experimenting, though.
Did you know?
Even fully solar charging points will be joining the fray so that when loadshedding hits, there’s power. A company called Zero Carbon Charge will be completing some of SA’s first fully off-grid EV charging stations this year. The company claims that charging time will be significantly shorter, too:
Our ultra-fast chargers can charge most EVs to 80% in about 20 minutes. 100% renewable energy powers our high-power EV chargers. - Zero Carbon Charge
This is a game changer, as it usually takes hours to charge an EV, especially if it's quite empty, and if someone beats you to the charger, it may even mean an unplanned overnight stay. A quick stop at one of these will shave hours off your journey.
ENDS
