Electric vehicles (EV) are a controversial topic in South Africa with many motorists for them, and many against.
But, if you are a property owner with access to a sizeable portion of open land, you can benefit from EVs without even having to buy one.
Local charging infrastructure company Zero Carbon Charge is busy establishing the country’s first off-grid national charging network for EVs with the end goal of having plugs located every 150km across South Africa’s major national roads, including the N1 all the way up to the N18, specifically targeting the non-urban segment of the country’s interior arteries.
In this endeavour, the company is offering land and farmstall owners the opportunity to become “Network Partners” and earn an income whilst doing so.
Profit potential
For a land/farmstall owner to qualify as a Zero Carbon Charge network partner, they must have a property that is easily accessible from a highway or key regional road with a safe exit or turnoff, said the company.
If there is no existing farmstall, the organisation requires at least six hectares of land on which to develop the charging facility and forecourt, which will accommodate a total of seven chargers including AC and DC plugs that are capable of replenishing 80% of charge in about 20 minutes in most EVs.
Once the initial agreement is signed with the landowner, the permitting process and relevant applications will commence, after which the construction phase will get underway.
“Basically, we will not just be installing charging devices, but developing sites from scratch,” the company told TopAuto.
Zero Carbon Charge Site Map Example
As such, all locations will feature the following amenities when construction is completed:
- A farmstall, parking area, and restroom facilities.
- Multiple vehicle charging stations with ultra-fast chargers.
- A solar photovoltaic system.
All electricity and management infrastructure needed will be generated and located onsite, including backup battery storage and a generator fuelled by hydrolysed vegetable oil, making the station eco-friendly and completely free from Eskom’s grid.
“Our sites are designed to minimise its impact on the environment, energy for charging will be produced by 100% renewable energy sources,” said Zero Carbon Charge.
“A botanical garden will be developed at each station. There will be water harvesting systems for all potable water that will be required on site. Grey water will be treated on site to provide irrigation water for the trees in the shaded parking, and green barriers will be established around the generating area to minimise visual impact – to name just a few of the measures being put in place.”
Once fully operational, the facility will be capable of generating a monthly turnover of approximately R300,000 per hectare under solar panels, with the network partners/property owners being entitled to 5% of the gross income that is generated by the energy sales of the charging station based on a long-term lease agreement entered into with Zero Carbon Charge.
“Farmers also benefit from the surplus energy generated. The farm stall will provide an outlet for local produce and products, and 1% of the turnover will be reinvested into the local community,” said the company.
Zero Carbon Charge Farmstall
The current situation
While there are no Zero Carbon Charge plugs up and running just yet, the company currently has in place a total of 90 network partners with several nearing the completion of their respective sites, it said.
Before each location is commissioned, it must go through a development process that includes environmental and land use approvals, involving an initial environmental study to establish feasibility and then an “applicability application” that is submitted to the government.
Thereafter, the architect draws up and submits basic building and site plans for the specific site, and lastly, town-planning applications are submitted to the appropriate town-planning office.
“The entire process per site can take up to a minimum of 10 months if everything runs smoothly and there are no objections,” said Zero Carbon Charge. Following the permitting process, network partners can expect the construction period to take roughly six months.
The company is confident that it can pull off phase one of the station rollout, which will include a network of 120 locations that service passenger and light-commercial vehicles, by mid-2025 at a total investment value of R1.8 billion.
Zero Carbon Charge Current Network Partner Map
Keyword: How you can benefit from electric cars in South Africa without buying one