The adoption of electric vehicles in South Africa depends heavily on infrastructure, and Nissan is working hard at establishing free charging locations throughout South Africa.

To demonstrate this, Nissan South Africa and the City of Tshwane hosted a Green Mile – a convoy of electric vehicles (EV) – to celebrate EV infrastructure in the City.

Touring several EV charging locations of the 32 available in Tshwane, attendees travelled in environmentally-friendly fashion in the Nissan LEAF.

How the City of Tshwane is saving the planet

Both Nissan and the City of Tshwane have committed to climate action and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Approximately 28 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent are emitted per year within the City of Tshwane and just less than a fifth stem from transport-related emissions,” said Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Solly Msimanga.

“As such, the City is exploring every possible measure to reduce this footprint, including transitioning to cleaner mobility. The municipality believes investing in electric vehicles is strong endorsement of these vehicles.”

In 2015, the City purchased 10 Nissan LEAF vehicles as a bold step to incorporating electric vehicles into its fleet.

It has two solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations and is entering into a partnership with UNIDO and the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) to expedite the roll out of electric vehicle infrastructure in the City.

“Nissan is regarded as a key stakeholder of the City with a strong presence in Rosslyn, the City’s hub for the automobile industry and a priority economic sector,” said Mgobozi.

“We’re proud to partner with Nissan to manifest our vision for low carbon mobility in the City.”

Accelerating EV adoption in South Africa

As the director of uYilo eMobility Technology Innovation Programme at Nelson Mandela University, Hiten Parmar has spent years working with multiple stakeholders to accelerate the development and commercialisation of electric mobility in South Africa.

“Global vehicle manufacturers like Nissan are investing their 100% electric vehicles into South Africa,” commented Parmar.

“Enabling zero-emission transport within the country will lead to a positive contribution to improving air quality in our cities, and in the long-term, positively impacting life expectancy especially within our highly traffic congested cities.”

The infographic below shows a map of EV charging stations in South Africa. For a full list of charging stations, visit the Nissan website.

Nissan EV charging stations SA map

Nissan’s drive to educate consumers

Both Nissan and the City are part of the Automobile Industry Development Centre (AIDC)’s Tshwane Green Forum, a quarterly forum that addresses sustainability within the automobile industry.

Nissan sponsors several of the City’s key events such as the African Capital Cities Sustainability Forum and Sustainability Week.

The Nissan LEAF was the first electric vehicle in South Africa and as has since led the charge in establishing and educating the local market about Electric Vehicle Mobility.

The next generation Nissan LEAF will be introduced globally in September.

For more information, visit the Nissan website.

The advantage of gender-diversity

The idea for the two parties to host a Green Mile event in August was driven by both organisations’ dedication to women.

In the male-dominated automotive industry, Nissan finds gender diversity to be a competitive advantage.

In fact, the organisation has a 50/50 intake of male and female graduates.

By starting at the graduate level, Nissan believes it will maximise the strengths of the female workforce and add value to the customer experience.

The Green Mile route will be inclusive of the Union Buildings in tribute to the women who marched there in 1956 in protest of the Pass Laws.