EV Drivers Put Electric Vehicles to the Test on South Africa’s N3
Reading Time: 2 minutesEV drivers can help test real-world electric vehicle performance between Johannesburg and Durban through CHARGE’s N3 EV Real-World Test.
Image Credit: Ockham Communications
South African motorists considering an electric vehicle may soon have access to something more useful than manufacturer specifications: real-world data from drivers travelling between Johannesburg and Durban.
To mark World EV Day, Zero Carbon Charge (CHARGE) has launched the N3 EV Real-World Test, an initiative designed to measure how passenger and commercial electric vehicles perform on one of South Africa’s major intercity routes.
EV Performance Gets a Real-World Test
While manufacturers provide information about an EV’s battery capacity, range and energy efficiency, those figures do not always reflect what drivers experience on an actual long-distance journey.
The CHARGE initiative aims to create a consistent South African benchmark by collecting data from different electric vehicles travelling along the same N3 route.
Participating drivers can charge at two CHARGE hubs: CHARGE N3 Roadside at Leeukop Padstal in the Free State and CHARGE N3 Tugela at Three Towers Farm Stall in KwaZulu-Natal.
Both facilities operate off-grid using solar-powered microgrids and battery storage. They currently offer 360kW of charging capacity, with upgrades of up to 720kW planned.
What Will the EV Test Measure?
The project will collect information about the actual driving and charging experience of each participating electric vehicles.
This includes distance travelled, elevation changes, battery percentage on arrival, battery consumption and energy efficiency, measured in kWh per 100km.
Charging performance will also be recorded, including charging speed, power, amperage, voltage and charging duration.
The data will be anonymised or aggregated, allowing CHARGE to build a broader picture of how different electric vehicles perform under South African road, weather and driving conditions.
“One trip gives us one data point. Hundreds of trips across different vehicles and conditions begin to give South African consumers something much more useful,” said CHARGE Co-Founder and Chair Joubert Roux.
The goal is not to declare a single electric vehicle the winner
How Can EV Owners Participate?
Drivers can register through the CHARGE website by providing details about their electric vehicle, including its make and model and whether they are travelling from Johannesburg to Durban, Durban to Johannesburg or making a return trip.
Participants will then download the CHARGE app and receive a free charging voucher linked to their account. They have two months to complete their N3 EV Test.
In return for sharing their journey and vehicle data, qualifying participants will receive CHARGE credits towards their charging costs on the test route.
Once enough information has been collected, CHARGE plans to publish aggregated results online.
The goal is not to declare a single electric vehicle the winner, but to give South African motorists, fleet operators and existing EV owners practical information to help them understand how different vehicles perform in everyday conditions.