Dakar - South African crews dig deep as second week begins
The 2026 Dakar Rally roared back into action on Monday with Stage 8, a gruelling 481km loop around Wadi Ad Dawasir.
- Industry News
- 12 January 2026
The reach of electric vehicles (EVs) just got a boost with a partnership between Audi South Africa and GridCars with the finalisation of the installation of 33 EV-charging stations across the country for any such vehicle no matter what model or brand.
The new charging stations represent a total of 70 charge point connectors, and they expand on the existing network in the country. The chargers’ range in their charging capacity from 22 kW (AC) to 80 kW (DC) and 150 kW (DC) ultra-fast charging and are immediately available to all South African electric vehicle drivers.
“Audi is committed to ensuring that owners of any electric vehicle can comfortably travel the country, with the reassurance that the EV-charging infrastructure is in place to support their progressive choice of mobility. With the public Audi EV chargers now formally available and in operation, our project to ensure that there are active state-of-the-art EV chargers at key destination and lifestyle venues across South Africa, is tracking well, and we are excited to officially encourage all early adopters of electric mobility to utilise these charge points,” says Sascha Sauer, Head of Audi South Africa.
N1 - Colesberg, Caltex, Northern Cape; N2 – Mossel Bay, Langeberg Mall, Western Cape; N3 - Tugela North, Engen, KwaZulu-Natal; N4 - Riverside Mall, Mbombela, Mpumalanga.
N1 - Ventersburg, Caltex, Free State; N1 - Richmond, Caltex, Northern Cape; N2 - The Crags, Engen, Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape; N3 - Tugela South, Engen, KwaZulu-Natal; N4 - Alzu Petroport, Mpumalanga (Audi has upgraded the existing unit from DC 60 kW to DC 80 kW. GridCars has also installed a new EV-charging unit at Kranskop Engen, Limpopo).
Western Cape:
Hazendal Wine Estate, Stellenbosch; Franschhoek Motor Museum, Franschhoek; Delaire Graff Estate, Stellenbosch; Spier Wine Estate, Stellenbosch; Thesen Island, Knysna; Graham Beck Wine Estate, Robertson; The Marine Hotel, Hermanus; The Cellars Hohenort Hotel, Constantia; D’Hub B&B, Cape L'Agulhas.
Gauteng:
Parkview Shopping Centre, Pretoria; Johannesburg Country Club, Auckland Park; Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Country Club; Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate, Kempton Park; Johannesburg Country Club, Woodmead; Bryanston Country Club, Johannesburg; Kyalami Corner, Johannesburg; Virgin Active Bryanston, Johannesburg.
Mpumalanga:
84 on Main, Dullstroom, Hazyview Junction Shopping Centre.
KwaZulu-Natal:
Cornubia Mall, Mt Edgecombe; Selborne Hotel & Golf Club, Pennington; Cedar Garden B&B, Underberg.
Free State:
Protea Hotel by Marriot, Clarens.
Northwest:
Village Mall, Hartbeespoort Dam.
The 2026 Dakar Rally roared back into action on Monday with Stage 8, a gruelling 481km loop around Wadi Ad Dawasir.
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