INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology
How South African businesses need to start preparing for EV delivery vehicles
South Africa ’ s installed solar PV capacity increased 349 % between March 2022 and June 2023 , largely driven by businesses installing panels at their premises . Given the interim tax incentives on solar installations , this figure is expected to grow in the next few years . Which means that in two to four years , we may just have a glut of commercial solar energy with nowhere to go .
What can businesses do with the extra power their factory rooftop solar installation could provide Feeding it back into the grid is an unlikely option , as South Africa ’ s electricity grid simply does not have capacity to carry those loads or offer attractive tariffs . The answer is pouring that sunshine into commercial electric vehicles .
The electrification of South Africa ’ s fleets will start with smaller two- to four-tonne electric vehicles , EVs moving loads around locally . The first routes will likely be 120-odd kilometre loops from distribution centres for retailers and e-commerce operations .
Trucks will complete a delivery loop in the morning , recharge briefly while they are being reloaded with cargo back at the depot , and complete a second loop in the afternoon . Overnight , the vehicles could fully recharge using solar power stored in the depot ’ s onsite batteries . time to invest in the actual vehicles yet – that will come in a few years when EV trucks are more advanced and prices are lower – but we are almost there .”
Coetzee suggests business owners consider over-supplying their businesses with solar panels . This way they can take advantage of the Income Tax Act ’ s Section 12BA tax benefit , which lets companies claim an upfront 125 % of renewable energy asset costs until 28 February 2025 . This rebate applies to inverters and power storage batteries as well if they form an integral part of the renewable energy system . vehicle load capacity , usual cargo , available drivers , grid quality near your business premises , the size of the business ’ s solar investment and various other factors . This data can take quite some time to gather , and will guide decisions about replacing internal combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles during your normal fleet replacement cycle ,” says Coetzee . p
Alternatively , vehicles can spend the day charging off the depot ’ s batteries , and do delivery runs at night , causing less disruption to traffic . Either way , investment in solar pays for tomorrow ’ s fuel .
“ This would be a huge cost-saver for companies , as it addresses rising diesel and petrol costs and reduces time spent on fuel management ,” explains Justin Coetzee , CEO GoMetro . “ Granted , it is not quite the right
The next step would be for businesses to investigate their internal or external logistics to identify popular routes , preferably in a 120km loop . This step is the data-gathering phase , Coetzee says and GoMetro has developed a Bridge telematics aggregator that can use existing telematics data to plot electric routes out .
“ Your vehicle electrification plan will need data points about your current routes ,
Justin Coetzee , CEO GoMetro
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