South Africa’s adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has been slow by global standards, but it is accelerating, and this year will see more manufacturers introduce EVs into the country, says uYilo eMobility Programme director Hiten Parmar.

The programme is one of the strategic initiatives of the Green Transport Strategy of the Department of Transport that promotes the introduction of EVs and hybrid-electric vehicles.

“The supporting public EV charging infrastructure has progressed since early inception in 2013, with the majority of charge points installed having being supplied from international equipment manufacturers,” said Parmar.

He adds that, as the local EV market grows, the demand from vehicle manufacturers for a variety of locally manufactured EV charging infrastructure and service providers will increase as well.

“In preparation for this, there has been specific investment from the uYilo kick-start fund into technology localisation projects to ensure multiple local technology providers are available and that South Africa is not solely dependent on international suppliers and technologies.”

The South African Automotive Masterplan to 2035 has set out several objectives, including having a localisation rate of 60%. The Department of Trade and Industry, under Minister Dr Rob Davies, has been clear about its long-term commitment to supporting the local automotive sector, as well as the benefits of having a deep and diverse supply chain for domestic sourcing.

uYilo kick-start fund investments on specific EV charging infrastructure technology projects include the GridCars alternating current (ac) charge point and server, implemented in 2014, the MLT Inverters Karoo70 high-voltage inverter for second-life EV batteries (2015), the Microcare 50 kW direct current (dc) EV Fast Charger (2017) and the QBSoft-EV BackOffice management system (2018).

The entire allocation of localisation funding totals R13.2-million, of which R7.7- million has come from the uYilo grant funding, and R5.5-million in cofunding from the specific project developers and related partners.

This funding model has attracted greater participation and commitment towards expanding the local EV ecosystem of technologies. These grassroots investments seek to provide the foundation for the growth of the local EV supply chain for domestic sourcing.

“The uYilo smart grid facility additionally provides a live-testing environment for EV fleets and the related infrastructure ecosystem. At 128 kW total EV charging capacity, it is currently the largest dedicated EV charging and technology advanced facility in Africa, with the inclusion of global technologies of the EV ecosystem,” says Parmar.

“This includes solar EV charging, second-life EV battery storage systems, BackOffice management, ac charge points, dc fast chargers and the leading vehicle-to-grid technology.”

The Department of Transport’s ‘Green Transport Strategy 2018-2050’ is the first national policy document promoting EV adoption in the country. The Green Transport Strategy comprises five Implementation themes.

Under the Green Transport Technologies theme, Strategic Pillar 8 is of particular importance. This relates to the promotion of EV and hybrid-electric vehicles.”

The uYilo eMobility Programme is profiled in government’s Green Transport Strategy as a Strategic Initiative towards the development of EV components.

The national uYilo eMobility Programme is an initiative of the Technology Innovation Agency, a public entity of the Department of Science and Technology. The programme mandate entails enabling, facilitating and mobilising electric mobility in South Africa.

The multistakeholder programme has supporting facilities and expertise across accredited battery testing of lead-acid and lithium-ion technologies, EV systems and the smart grid ecosystem infrastructure for EVs.