“A Massive Step Forward”: SA Man Shares a Look at the New Solar EV Charging Station in Free State

A South African man has given Mzansi a close-up look at a brand new solar-powered EV charging station on the N3. Car enthusiast DriveScape posted the TikTok video on 25 May 2026, filmed at the Leeukop Padstal near Reitz in the Free State. The station, called Charge N3 Roadside, opened just days earlier on 19 May 2026.

The station sits about 181km from Johannesburg on the busy Johannesburg-Durban corridor. Zero Carbon Charge, the company behind it, launched the facility as part of South Africa’s first off-grid solar EV charging network. A R100 million investment from the Development Bank of Southern Africa made it possible.

A charging stop that actually makes sense

The Leeukop site runs entirely on solar energy with battery storage and no grid connection. It has six DC fast chargers and two AC chargers, handling up to eight vehicles at once. Most EVs can go from 20% to 80% battery in about 30 minutes at the station.

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Drivers charge and pay through the Charge mobile app. The padstal also offers free Wi-Fi and restrooms, making it a practical stop on a long drive. A second station opened the very next day at the Colenso-Winterton Interchange in KwaZulu-Natal.

The timing is no accident. EV sales in South Africa hit a record 389 units in March 2026 alone. Searches for EVs on AutoTrader jumped 45% year-on-year in early 2026. The infrastructure is finally starting to catch up with growing demand.

Commenters on DriveScape’s video called it a great idea, though some raised questions about security at the site.

Watch the video below:

More articles about EVs

• Bolt held the official launch of its electric vehicle initiative in Cape Town on Friday, 15 May 2026.
• Zero Carbon Charge launched a new solar-powered electric vehicle charging station next to the N3.
• The South African government is looking at charging electric vehicle owners a separate fee when buying or renewing their vehicle licence.

Source: Briefly News