CHARGE expands off‑grid EV charging

CHARGE said on September 7 that it is expanding its off-grid electric-vehicle charging network in South Africa, using solar-powered fast chargers and battery storage to serve areas without grid access. The company disclosed the move in a post on X but did not give station numbers, locations or rollout dates. The announcement extends a strategy CHARGE has been building this year around self-supplied energy rather than grid-connected charging. Its website says the company generates solar power on-site and uses battery storage to keep chargers running independently of the national grid. ### What exactly did CHARGE say on September 7? CHARGE said on September 7 that it was expanding an off-grid EV charging network in South Africa based on solar-powered fast-charging stations with battery storage. The post pointed to a model aimed at places where grid access is limited or unavailable, but it did not specify how many new stations would be added or when they would open. Zero Carbon Charge, which trades as CHARGE, describes itself on its website as building “South Africa’s off-grid electric vehicle charging network.” The company says its system is designed to provide “always on power” through on-site solar and batteries, with charging rates not tied to Eskom tariff hikes or load-shedding. (charge.co.za) ### What has CHARGE already built? May 19 marked CHARGE’s launch of its first two off-grid, solar-powered EV charging stations on the Johannesburg-Durban N3 corridor, according to the company. (charge.co.za) Those sites are CHARGE N3 Roadside at the Reitz Interchange in the Free State and CHARGE N3 Tugela at the Colenso-Winterton Interchange in KwaZulu-Natal. CHARGE’s N3 corridor page says both stations are part of a national rollout of 120 off-grid EV charging stations. (charge.co.za) The same page says N3 Roadside is about 180 kilometers from Johannesburg, while N3 Tugela is just over 180 kilometers from Roadside and around 200 kilometers from Durban. The CHARGE N3 Tugela station page says the site has six DC charge points and two AC charge points and operates 24 hours a day. (charge.co.za) The page says the station is powered by solar energy with integrated battery storage and runs independently from the grid. ### How large are the current hubs? August 19 brought a separate CHARGE statement saying it would double charging capacity at both N3 hubs three months after launch. (charge.co.za) The company said capacity at each hub would rise from 360 kW to as much as 720 kW, while solar capacity would increase from 280 kWp to 470 kWp and battery storage from 645 kWh to 1.4 MWh. (charge.co.za) Joubert Roux, CHARGE co-founder and chair, said in that August statement that demand from passenger and commercial EV users had prompted the company to bring expansion plans forward. CHARGE said the upgraded hubs would also be prepared for 800-volt vehicles and future megawatt-level charging. ### Why is CHARGE focused on off-grid charging? (charge.co.za) South Africa’s grid constraints are central to CHARGE’s pitch. The company says its off-grid model gives EV drivers and fleet operators power that is independent of load-shedding and national grid volatility, while also using solar generation produced on site. The company has also linked the model to freight. In its May launch statement, CHARGE said the N3 rollout was intended to support electric passenger and freight mobility on one of the country’s main transport corridors. (charge.co.za) ### Where does the network go next? CHARGE’s website says the N3 corridor is live and identifies the N1 as “the next strategic route” in its national rollout. (charge.co.za) A station page for N3 Tugela also says CHARGE has operational sites on the N3 and N12, with the next phase planned for the N1 corridor. September 7’s X post did not add dates or site counts for that next phase. For now, the most specific public roadmap on CHARGE’s own channels remains the existing N3 sites, the planned N1 corridor buildout, and the broader target of a 120-station national network. (charge.co.za 1) (charge.co.za 2) (charge.co.za 3)