PE company develops off-the-grid charging for electric vehicles

Off-the-grid charging systems for electric vehicles are being developed by the Port Elizabeth-based uYilo eMobility programme. The systems will be suitable for both commercial and passenger vehicles, according to uYilo director Hiten Parmar. Having a network of charging stations which are partly or wholly insulated from Eskom and municipal power failures is essential for the adoption of electric vehicles by transporters and logistics companies using electric forklifts and autonomous robots in their warehouses. South Africa's adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has been slow by global standards, but

it is accelerating, according to Parmar. From a fleet of around  1 220 plug-in electric vehicles currently, it is projected that there could be as many as  145 000 electric vehicles on our roads in the next six years.

“The local battery electric vehicle market started with the introduction of the Nissan Leaf in 2013, and the BMW i3 in 2015. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles offerings include BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.

“This year more manufacturers will bring EVs to the SA market, the first being Jaguar Land Rover," says Parmar. The uYilo Programme is also one of the initiatives within the Department of

Transport’s Green Transport Strategy for South Africa 2018-2050. According to the strategy, the road sub-sector contributes 91.2% of the transport sector’s total emissions. “It is therefore evident that this sub-sector offers the highest mitigation potential benefits,” states the document. One of the recommendations is that the CO2 emissions tax currently being levied on passenger vehicles be applied to commercial vehicles as well. uYilo is supporting the development of local charging systems. The South African Automotive Masterplan 2035 has set out several objectives, including having a localisation rate of 60%, says Parmar.