Electric car home chargers in South Africa — Features and pricing explained

There are a wide variety of home electric vehicle (EV) chargers available in South Africa, with typical prices ranging from R5,000 to more than R20,000.

Many EV manufacturers in South Africa initially offered their high-end cars with 7.4kW home charger installations as part of the package.

As more affordable models become available on the market — like the Volvo EX30 — these are no longer included.

Excluding a home charger allows carmakers to bring their prices down significantly but will require that potential EV buyers shop around for the products themselves.

Fortunately, their prices are not exorbitant compared to the EVs’ price tags.

One company that specialises in home charging solutions is Centurion-based EV Charge.

EV Charge co-founder Brad Dann explained some of the key features of home EV chargers and what you can expect to pay for them.

The first important characteristic to be aware of is the charging connector standard used in South Africa, which is the Type-2 plug also used in Europe.

Next, you should familiarise yourself with the two main categories of AC charging suitable for typical home use, namely:

• Level 1 Charging — Uses a 16-Amp domestic wall socket with up to 3.7kW output on a 230V supply.
• Level 2 Charging — Uses a 32-Amp industrial socket that can support up to 7.4kW output on a 230V supply.

Dann said that 3.7kW chargers are typically only available in the portable format, while 7.4kW chargers were available in both portable and fixed wall or pedestal-mount configurations.

3.7kW charging can add about 50% charge to a medium-sized battery in an EV like the BMW iX3 in 10 hours.

7.4.kW would be sufficient for charging the same car’s battery from zero to full in that time.

Most regular commuters in South Africa will likely be able to get their car charged back to full using either a 3.7kW or 7.4kW charger.

The average Numbeo distance of 44km for a commute will drain less than 20% of a mid-sized EV battery. Even with a 3.7kW charger, motorists could add the range lost in about four to five hours.

Portable chargers with 3.7kW output tend to have fewer features than fixed chargers with the same speed, which makes them more affordable.

“Wall or pedestal-mount chargers tend to have controllability via a mobile app, whereas the portables are controlled manually,” Dann explained.

However, even entry-level portable chargers allow users to adjust the charge current.

“This is useful for users that need to charge at lower currents due to supply constraints, such as a solar requirement or if they already have other power-consuming appliances such as geysers, stoves or air conditioners that have a higher priority than charging an EV.”

The Suntree portable charger, priced at R4,890 from EV Charge, is one of the most affordable EV car chargers on the market.

It supports setting the current to 8, 10, 13 or 16 Amps, translating to speeds of 1.8kW, 2.3kW, 3kW, or 3.7kW.

One of the major benefits of this type of charger is that you can plug it into regular three-prong sockets used throughout South Africa.

That makes it great for taking on road trips where you can top up the car’s battery at your accommodation.

A more powerful portable charger is the Zencar 7.4kW, priced at R6,960.

This charger supports adjusting its current to 6, 10, 12, or 16 Amps and can be set to only charge during certain times.

To charge at over 3.7kW with this charger, it must be plugged into a 32-Amp CEE socket.

CEE sockets are often found in powered camping grounds in South Africa and are used to connect caravans and recreational vehicles (RVs).

However, a 32-Amp version will provide much higher maximum power, just over half the peak power draw of a typical single-phase 60-Amp home connection.

An entry-level fixed option like Zencar’s 7.4kW wall or pedestal charging station is priced at R9,980.

This charger offers a colour display and adjustable maximum current and charging times.

For a more high-end option, the Duosida charger is about R1,000 more expensive but adds support for online monitoring and control via an app.

Homes with three-phase connections can enjoy increased charging speeds of up to 22kW on an AC connection, which could take a medium-sized EV battery from empty to full in less than four hours.

Chargers that support this speed are available from R10,395 from EV Charge, which gets you a Victron model with a touch display and full remote monitoring and control.

This model is designed to work well with home solar systems, detecting when excess production is available for charging an EV.

22kW chargers also require a 32-Amp connection.