Nissan and BMW electrify V&A’s parking lot

Nissan South Africa and BMW Group South Africa have added momentum to Cape Town’s green revolution, with the introduction of their first joint electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) charging stations in the Western Cape.

The three charging stations are located at the V&A Waterfront and use the faster direct current charging method and Type 2 connectors, allowing them to charge a wide range of current and future EVs and PHEVs.

Nissan and BMW last year signed a memorandum of understanding that will see them jointly install EV charging stations across the country’s main metropolitan nodes. The joint venture started its operations in Johannesburg with a combined charging hub at the Industrial Development Corporation in Sandton and the Department of Environmental Affairs in Pretoria. It is also installing charging stations at several of the brands’ large metropolitan dealers.

The planned charging stations will supplement the stations already available at certain BMW and Nissan dealerships – that can charge both manufacturers’ electric vehicles – and it forms part of the two companies’ strategy to support the adoption of EVs in South Africa’s most populous cities.

The two companies have confirmed that they are working on charging infrastructure at Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria and they will add a number of smaller alternating current (AC) charging stations around Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town to expand South Africa’s EV charging network.