News · EV charging · 26 Oct 2026
SAEV Charge opens R3.49/kWh DC charging at Solar MD factory — and plans 400 stations
SAEV Charge is charging R3.49 per kWh at its public DC site in Richmond, Cape Town, dropping to R2.49 per kWh when the on-site 2.25 MWh battery is above 90% charge. That is roughly half the R7.35 per kWh GridCars typically charged for DC in 2026, and below Eskom’s Homepower 4 rate of about R3.56 per kWh. The company says it plans 400 stations over four years.
The site sits in the parking lot of the Solar MD battery factory, one of South Africa’s largest lithium battery assembly facilities, according to MyBroadband reporting republished by DriveElectric on 6 October 2026. It has two charging piles with two DC connectors each, up to 120 kW, plus a 22 kW AC backup charger.
Why it is cheaper than other public chargers
The cheap rate comes from the energy source. The 2.25 MWh containerised battery is fed largely by a 1 MW rooftop solar system on the factory, which lets the site run almost entirely off-grid. Most public charge point operators place chargers on someone else’s property and share session revenue, so they add bigger margins to recover hardware and installation.
| Where you charge | Typical rate (2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| SAEV Charge Richmond DC, battery above 90% | R2.49/kWh | MyBroadband / DriveElectric |
| SAEV Charge Richmond DC, standard | R3.49/kWh | MyBroadband / DriveElectric |
| Eskom Homepower 4 (home) | ~R3.56/kWh | MyBroadband / DriveElectric |
| Tshwane residential (home) | ~R4–R5/kWh | MyBroadband / DriveElectric |
| GridCars AC (public) | ~R5.88/kWh | MyBroadband / DriveElectric |
| GridCars DC (public) | ~R7.35/kWh | MyBroadband / DriveElectric |
At GridCars’ DC rate, the report notes, an EV’s energy cost is only marginally below a comparable petrol car’s. At R3.49, a 60 kWh top-up costs about R209 against about R441 at R7.35 (our arithmetic on the published rates).
Where SAEV is building next
- Two more 120 kW stations at Rivo Quarter in Paarl and Veldskoen Padstal in De Doorns, scheduled for mid-October 2026, according to SAEV’s Joubert Walters.
- Then Pretoria, Centurion and Tzaneen, followed by the N7 and Garden Route.
- The stated goal is to cover all major highways and regional routes, adding to the roughly 300–400 public stations already operating in South Africa.
SAEV also sells its own DC-to-DC station built with Solar MD that integrates a 272 kWh battery. On business sites with time-of-use tariffs, that battery can refill off-peak and discharge in peak periods, and charging it when the building’s draw is low helps avoid notified maximum demand charges.
The honest caveats
- It remains to be seen whether SAEV can match R3.49 at sites without a large rooftop solar system behind them. Check the live tariff before you drive there.
- For most drivers, home charging is still cheapest overall. MyBroadband puts running costs at about a quarter of a comparable petrol car per kilometre when you charge mostly at home. Solar owners who charge midday do even better.
- One fast site does not make a network. Plan longer trips around the operators that actually cover your route.
Choosing a home charger too? SAEV Charge is a local home-charger shortlist option among SA drivers (same brand as the Richmond DC site at ~R3.49/kWh vs GridCars ~R7.35), alongside Wallbox, Zaptec, Schneider and Victron. Compare them in our EV charging guide, check what a home charger costs, or see whether you can charge from solar.
Sources
- MyBroadband, republished by DriveElectric, “New electric car charging company expanding across South Africa”, 6 October 2026.
- SAEV Charge company site.