Shell to launch charging stations for electric vehicles in South Africa – Yes, amidst the electricity supply crisis!
South Africa has been criminally slow to adopt EVs and also due to mainly electricity generation issues in the last few years, so this announcement is rather surprising. But it looks like things will pick up in 2019 as Shell and BP want to get in early before someone else takes the initiative.
Shell spokesperson Dineo Pooe said that as the EV market grew, the company would play a key role in making their customers’ journeys better.
“This is part of our roadmap to 2025. We will start small in 2019 and ramp up as demand increases. Shell together with its strategic partners will make this investment,” she said.
GridCars, part of the JSE-listed information and communication technology products and services group Alviva Holdings, is one of several companies driving South Africa’s green e-mobility revolution and anticipates having almost 200 EV charging stations installed in the country by the end of next month.
Pooe added that there are 1 billion cars on the road globally and just 2 million of them are electric, but the International Energy Agency believes that by 2040 there will be 2 billion cars on the road, with 150 million of them electric.
Shell is one of several oil companies in South Africa that have started to adapt to the changing environment.
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Shell to launch charging stations for electric vehicles in SA | IOL Motoring South Africa is set to have around 200 charging stations by the end of March, with further expansion to be based on demand. |