EV charging map for South African road trips
Every public charger we could find on open maps, coloured by speed. Use it with the route guides and the trip planner (and see what charging at home costs) to see where the fast chargers are, and where the long gaps are.
Charger data checked 18 October 2026: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Open Charge Map contributors (CC BY 4.0, public export dated 22 April 2026). Map tiles © OpenStreetMap. Chargers at car dealerships are left out. Credits.
"kW not stated" means the source didn't list a speed; chargers with no plug or speed details show as AC. Some chargers are for customers of the venue only, which the popup says.
Road-trip routes
Johannesburg to Cape Town
About 1 400 km · 17 fast DC chargers within 5 km
Longest gap between fast chargers: 238 km (Johannesburg to Ventersburg)
N3Johannesburg to Durban
About 570 km · 9 fast DC chargers within 5 km
Longest gap between fast chargers: 180 km (Germiston to Tanda Tau)
N2Cape Town to Gqeberha (Garden Route)
About 760 km · 13 fast DC chargers within 5 km
Longest gap between fast chargers: 159 km (Caledon to Heidelberg (WC))
N4Pretoria to Mbombela
About 330 km · 3 fast DC chargers within 5 km
Longest gap between fast chargers: 237 km (Pretoria to Machadodorp)
Road-trip charging tips
CCS2 or Type 2?
CCS2 is the fast DC plug: a Type 2 shape with two big pins underneath. Almost every new EV sold in SA uses it, and DC chargers have the cable attached. Type 2 is the AC plug (usually 7–22 kW) for slower top-ups; bring your own Type 2 cable. CHAdeMO is mostly for older Nissan Leafs.
How long a stop takes
For a typical 60 kWh car charging from 10% to 80%: about 45–60 min on a 50 kW charger and 25–35 min on 100–150 kW, if your car can take that speed. Your car's own maximum DC speed is the limit. Above 80% charging slows right down, so short, frequent stops are quicker. AC at 22 kW takes 3 hours or more.
Load-shedding and outages
Many chargers have no backup power, so they can be off during load-shedding or a local outage. Some sites run on solar and batteries, but don't count on it. Check the outage schedule for the towns you'll stop in and leave yourself a bigger buffer.
Check the app before you leave
This data comes from volunteer maps and may be out of date. Chargers break, get busy or move. Check the operator's app (GridCars, Rubicon, Zero Carbon Charge and others) for live status before you leave, and know your backup stop.
Highway range is lower
At 120 km/h most EVs get 20–30% less than the claimed range, and more in the wind, rain, cold or when towing. Plan to arrive with 10–20% left, not 0%.
Plug-in hybrids
A PHEV's petrol engine covers any gap, so charging is a bonus, not a must. Most PHEVs charge on AC only; a few take DC.