Automobile manufacturers Nissan and BMW have joined hands for building a grid for charging stations to be used by electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) across South Africa.
As part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked by Nissan South Africa and BMW Group, the duo would introduce direct current (DC) fast-charging stations. The pact will be effective till 2017.
The stations would be equipped with Combined Charging System 2 (CCS2) for BMW's electric and plug-in hybrid models and the Charge de Move system (CHAdeMO) for Nissan's 100% electric LEAF.
The BMW SA rolled out EV and PHEV models - the BMW i3 and the BMW i8 - in March, while Nissan forayed into electric vehicle sector with Leaf in 2010 and introduced it in South Africa in 2013.
Nissan South Africa managing director Mike Whitfield said: "Our introduction of the 100% electric Nissan Leaf in 2013 was part of Nissan's global drive to advance sustainable mobility and to grow the market for zero-emission vehicles. With this in mind we believe our partnership with BMW SA is a sound investment to create a future-proof automobile industry."
In some regions, the charging station will also have provisions for smaller alternating current (AC) type vehicle chargers, equipped with 'Type 2' sockets for all EVs and PHEVs.
A joint task team manned by executives from both the firms will be entrusted with managing the grid.
BMW South Africa managing director Tim Abbott said: "We have successfully launched the BMW i3 and i8. A key imperative of our strategy is to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is rolled out to help increase consumer confidence in the viability of electric vehicles."
