In short, charging ports for electric vehicles in South Africa are universal, with third-party suppliers such as GridCars and OEM charging station infrastructure development all converging to supply charging solutions for all-electric vehicles (EVs) within South Africa. With this in mind, let's have a look at the different types of charging one can conduct with an EV!
Related: How are electric car batteries made?
Slow home charging
The EV manufacturer you purchased your vehicle from provides a cable to charge your vehicle using a standard household socket. This cable incorporates an In-Cable Control Box (ICCB), an intermediary device between the connector and vehicle plug. This form of charging is very slow, usually around 3kW, which means a 60kWh EV will take 20 hours to charge.
Fast home charging
Many brands will offer a home charging solution in the form of a wall box installed at your home, allowing for charging times from 7.4kW to 22kW, making this a far better solution for gaining meaningful charge for your EV. This method uses the same connector type as the slow home charger; however, the cable runs through the wall box unit instead of being plugged directly into a wall socket.
Public charging
Public charging stations use two different sockets, which every EV currently sold in South Africa supports. These are called Type 1 and Type 2 plugs, with Type 1 being the same connector referenced in the home charging content we have provided, with charging times between 7.4kW and 22kW, known as AC, or alternating current.
The DC or direct current charging connecter differs, with an additional prong below the standard adapter, requiring the user to open the DC charger flap located below the AC connecter socket. The DC charger can charge your vehicle at speeds between 22kW and 350kW; however, the latter figure is certainly not a reality in South Africa, where the fastest charger is currently 200kW, which is still impressive.
