Audi, working with partner Rubicon, has more than doubled its electric vehicle (EV) charging network in South Africa – and has deployed the country’s first direct-current (DC) 200kW charging station.

Audi South Africa said on Tuesday that it has invested R45-million in the past two years in EV charging infrastructure. The second phase of the roll-out has seen Audi and Rubicon deploying 43 EV stations countrywide.

The newly added chargers are in Gauteng (15), the Western W Cape (11), the Eastern Cape (10), KwaZulu-Natal (4), Mpumalanga (2) and the Free State (1).

All 76 Audi-branded charging station locations accessed at chargestations.co.za.

The second-phase deployment includes the first DC 200kW charger – with solar backup – at the Mall of Africa, a shopping centre in Midrand, Johannesburg. Audi claims the EV battery of an e-tron GT can be recharged within about 15 minutes using this new super-fast charging station.

The new charging stations brought online during the second phase of the deployment can accommodate a total of 57 EV cars simultaneously, at varying capacities, regardless of model or brand ownership.

The second phase comprises four 100kW (DC), eight 60kW (DC), five 25kW (DC) and 25 22kW (AC) fast EV charger installations. “The commissioning of the first and second phase of charging infrastructure means that Audi and partners GridCars and Rubicon have installed 76 fast and ultra-fast EV chargers across South Africa, representing about 28% of public charging stations in the country,” Audi said.

Solar

“EVs are the future of mobility and we’re investing not just in hardware infrastructure, but in making electric mobility simpler and more widely available for South Africans, thus enabling the local EV market to grow,” said Sascha Sauer, head of Audi South Africa, in a statement.

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The partnership between Audi, GridCars and Rubicon includes a roaming agreement, which allows billing cards to be interoperable across the two networks.

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“While load shedding is a reality to which South Africans have become accustomed, it is worth pointing out that our charging network also capitalises on solar installations, where possible, to keep the charging stations optimally operational,” said Sauer. – © 2023 NewsCentral Media