When considering the purchase of an electric vehicle, one will want to know if home charging is a must or if you would be able to run an EV on public charging alone. We look at the feasibility and hindrances of operating an EV using nothing but public charging facilities.
You may be intrigued by the prospect of electric mobility. The idea of never having to pay a cent for petrol or diesel again may just be too appealing to ignore, and who can blame you. The incessant petrol price increases and ongoing maintenance of internal combustion vehicles may be starting to wear you thin and you’re looking for an alternative. An electric vehicle could be the answer you’re looking for, but how feasible is it really?
Your pondering may extend to charging solutions, both in and around the city as well as long-distance driving and of course, it would; South Africans travel great distances on a fairly regular basis and even our daily commute is substantially longer than that in other countries. Our town and cities are placed far apart and what good is a vehicle if it can’t hop between towns?
Alternatively, you may still be renting a house, unable to make permanent alterations without the go-ahead of the property owner. In this case, home charging may not be the best solution for you. This will lead you to wonder if it is possible to run and operate an EV using only the public charging infrastructure.
Is it possible?
In short, the answer is yes. You will be able to run an EV on public charging alone, especially if you are based in the major centres in the country being Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, and Durban. There are numerous charging stations at both dealerships that sell EVs, malls, and other filling stations that will allow you to charge up your battery and then continue to drive, without needing to charge at home.
Even centres such as Bloemfontein, East London, Gqeberha, George, Pietermaritzburg, and Harrismith have several chargers that you could use, but these may be a little further from your house or work.
To get an idea of the network coverage, follow this link to see a live, interactive map courtesy of GridCars, the main service provider to the South African charging network.
Exclusions
If you’re the owner of an EV that has a smaller range than 400 km, the Nissan Leaf or BMW i3 for instance, you may find it harder to run off of public charging points alone as travelling to these charging points will eat into your range unnecessarily. Working off of the public network alone is best suited to those who have 400 km plus range in their EVs.
Keyword: Can you run an EV on public charging alone?