Local company plans electric truck chargers across SA

Western Cape-based Zero Carbon Charge is launching its new subsidiary, Zero Carbon Logistics, which will roll out 120 solar PV electric-truck charging sites on national highways across SA.

The initial six sites are planned for the N3 freight route between Durban and Johannesburg.

The company says it will be the first off-grid, 100%-green electric-truck charging network in the country relying on solar PV, a nonmechanical device that converts sunlight directly into electricity. It is in response to the growing shift by major truck manufacturers to producing electric models, with many already committed to achieving full-electric transition by 2040.

“Every day, 8,756 trucks travel on the N3 between Durban and Johannesburg, using over 658-million litres of fuel at an import cost of R8bn, emitting 1,781,256,762kg of CO₂ emissions per year,” says Joubert Roux, co-founder of Zero Carbon Charge.

“Replacing these fuel-powered trucks with electric models will save 670kg of CO₂ emissions per truck per day, significantly reducing our country’s reliance on expensive, dirty fossil fuel imports,” Roux says.

He says the growth in electric trucks will create an increased energy demand. The electricity required to charge the 8,756 trucks using the N3 route daily totals an additional 2.3-billion kWh/year alone.

“If one takes into account all 14 national roads, the country would need an additional 8-billion kWh/year of electricity to power 30,000 electric trucks [that it’s] predicted will be travelling on these routes daily, placing a major strain on the national grid.”

According to Andries Malherbe, co-founder of Zero Carbon Charge: “It is, therefore, critical that we start investing in off-grid infrastructure to power these trucks, particularly while travelling on long haul routes. The first six sites on the N3 have started the permitting process, and we hope to be up and running by November 2027.”

These charging stations will be off-grid, with each facility powered by 35MWp of solar PV, which means they will be able to continue servicing customers during load-shedding, and will not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

As Eskom’s electricity network will be powered primarily by dirty coal for the foreseeable future, a major shift towards electric trucks poses a real risk of increased CO₂ emissions. Zero Carbon Charge’s research shows that an electric truck charged by the Eskom network could emit 37.5% more CO₂e emissions per kilometre compared with an equivalent diesel-powered truck.

Each station will deploy ultra-fast charging technology coupled with modular battery packs that are being developed in China, with the goal of being able to charge a truck within 20 minutes. 

Eric Parry, senior manager of sustainable solutions at Volvo trucks SA, has welcomed the announcement from Zero Carbon Charge on the planned network of charging stations. The Swedish brand introduced its extra-heavy electric-truck range in 2023 aimed at customer fleets with a strong environmental ambition or under pressure from clients.