Charging an electric truck with off-grid solar power
A historic milestone has been reached with the opening of South Africa's first off-grid solar station for electric trucks.
- New Energy Vehicles
- 16 January 2026
New to the EV game and uncertain where to recharge?
Electric vehicle upstart, Zimi Charge, has the answer. This Cape Town-based company has launched a mobile app that helps you both find a charging station for your EV and pay for the recharge with the app.
The company is aiming to eventually give EV drivers access to 10 000 charging stations. It also hopes to roll out 1000 of its own over the next three years.
There will be two options for customers: AC and DC fast chargers. AC chargers are slower, while DC fast chargers are more suitable for drivers who want to top up quickly.
The company will charge R4.99 per kWh on its AC chargers and R5.99 per kWh on its DC chargers.
Consumers will be able to charge vehicles that have type 2-socket or wall-socket connections with an adaptor.
The app is available for Android and iOS, and users will be able to see which stations are powered using renewables.
Zimi Charge also has fleet and other solutions available.
GridCars is currently the operator of the largest charging network with over 300 charging stations.
A historic milestone has been reached with the opening of South Africa's first off-grid solar station for electric trucks.
The Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) might still be a long way from becoming obsolete, but the worldwide trend in favour of New Energy Vehicles (NEV) is growing rapidly.
A new report from Deloitte reveals that motorists in the United States remain firmly attached to petrol-powered vehicles, as concerns over cost, charging infrastructure and overall value continue to slow the transition to electric cars.