The Eastern Cape provincial government has broken ground on its first off-grid ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charging station.

The facility on the N6 outside East London is part of a planned network of 11 EV truck charging stations and18 commercial passenger EV charging stations in the province, reports TimesLive.

The roll-out of the solar-powered network on the N10, N6, R56, N9 and N2 is a joint initiative of the provincial government, Western Cape-based company Zero Carbon Charge and the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape.

The estimated cost of the provincial project is ZAR11.4 billion and it will create more than 3 000 job opportunities. In addition, the owners of the land on which the stations will be sited will earn 5% of the revenue generated from vehicles charging at the facilities.

15 October 2024
Image: Freepik