BMW Group South Africa (BMW SA) and Nissan South Africa are expanding the national charging footprint for electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles (PHEV) with the introduction of their first joint charging stations in the Western Cape.

The continued roll-out of charging infrastructure follows the 2015 signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two vehicle manufacturers.

The three charging stations in the Western Cape are at the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront, in Cape Town, and are supported by Growthpoint Properties, which manages the complex.

The charging stations will supplement the stations already installed by BMW across 27 BMW dealerships; at the Melrose Arch Precinct, in Johannesburg; and at BMW’s head office, in Midrand, to support the adoption of EVs in South Africa’s urban areas.

“With the MoU and the roll-out of public charging infrastructure, the BMW Group is demonstrating its commitment to shaping the future of individual mobility with publicly accessible charging infrastructure for electrically powered vehicles,” says BMW SA and sub-Saharan Africa CEO Tim Abbott.

“We understand that public charging infrastructure is a critical part of the future success of all electric vehicles in South Africa.”

BMW has seen the sales of its i-range of vehicles grow in global popularity, with 52 116 BMW i3 EVs sold since its introduction in 2013 and 9 203 BMW i8 PHEVs since its launch in 2014.

In South Africa, BMW has sold 141 BMW i3s and 159 BMW i8s since its local introduction, making BMW i3 the most successful EV in the market.

In Cape Town, the V&A Waterfront fast-charging stations will offer Type 2 connections that can be used by the BMW i3 and i8, as well as the Nissan Leaf.

These stations will be able to cater for future EV and PHEV models.

The next confirmed charging station site under the MOU in Cape Town is Constantia Village Mall and timing will be confirmed in due course.

BMW and Nissan have also confirmed that they are working on establishing charging infrastructure at Brooklyn Mall, in Pretoria.