M&Z's charging station network
Solar fed charging stations promise to change the game
The partnership aims to roll out charging stations nation-wide over the coming years.
Electric vehicles are set to take over the world, and in Namibia M&Z has taken the leadership in establishing the infrastructure that will accommodate all you enthusiasts, who cannot wait to drive across the country in your electric powered automobiles. In partnership with Quantum Solar Investments, M&Z Mercedes Benz Namibia has just introduced the first of their solar powered electric vehicle charging stations in the capital.
At the launch event late last month managing director of the M&Z group Ekko Eisenberg used the analogy of the chicken and the egg to illustrate the importance of this intervention. “We know that there are virtually no electric vehicles in Namibia at the moment, for the reason because there are no charging stations. This means that you would have to charge at home and move only within the area, or you would have to put the charger in the back of the car and then go somewhere else. Then you would have to charge the car which will probably take the night because they are not the better chargers,” he said. “We decided then that as a company we would want to spearhead the charging network in Namibia,” he said.
What makes the 50kWh charging stations developed in partnership with Quantum so ground-breaking is that they are powered via solar panels mounted on the roof of the parking bays provided with each station. Further the stations are also connected to the power supply for the establishment where they are located, allowing for excess power to be used by those establishments, and for extra power for the station when needed, as for example at night or on overcast days. “We will never have the situation where we don’t have the electricity to charge the car. It has got a very intelligent network,” he elaborated.
Mark van Schalkwyk of Quantum Solar said that they are very passionate about renewable energy. “M&Z has partnered with us and we are truly grateful for the experience and for them allowing us to present out design,” he said. The solar panels on top of the parking bays feed power into super capacitor cells, which gets converted into electricity to be able to charge electric vehicles, he explained.
The roll-out planned will be nationwide, to make it possible to drive anywhere you would with any other vehicle, with about 25 stations over the next few years. Over the course of the rest of this year the partnership will put up another five charging stations, Eisenberg said. Usakos and Otjiwarongo are already being investigated.
Namibia has the second best solar irradiation in the world, according to van Schalkwyk, who is very excited about the future of renewal power in the country. Another enthusiast who is particularly excited about electric vehicles is Sybrand de Waal, who made sure not the miss the launch event.
He points out that the M&Z charging stations work for all electric vehicles, not just Mercedes Benz. He said that the uptake for electric vehicles in the country is not happening fast enough, based on published government objectives.
“it saves me money, it saves time because I don’t have to stop at the service station, and it’s better for the environment,” he said, calling it a win-win-win investment. He is also a fan of the effortless acceleration that electric vehicles offer. “Even though electric vehicles are a new thing, try it. You won’t know until you have a test drive. Maybe you will be surprised with what you find,” he adds.
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At the launch event late last month managing director of the M&Z group Ekko Eisenberg used the analogy of the chicken and the egg to illustrate the importance of this intervention. “We know that there are virtually no electric vehicles in Namibia at the moment, for the reason because there are no charging stations. This means that you would have to charge at home and move only within the area, or you would have to put the charger in the back of the car and then go somewhere else. Then you would have to charge the car which will probably take the night because they are not the better chargers,” he said. “We decided then that as a company we would want to spearhead the charging network in Namibia,” he said.
What makes the 50kWh charging stations developed in partnership with Quantum so ground-breaking is that they are powered via solar panels mounted on the roof of the parking bays provided with each station. Further the stations are also connected to the power supply for the establishment where they are located, allowing for excess power to be used by those establishments, and for extra power for the station when needed, as for example at night or on overcast days. “We will never have the situation where we don’t have the electricity to charge the car. It has got a very intelligent network,” he elaborated.
Mark van Schalkwyk of Quantum Solar said that they are very passionate about renewable energy. “M&Z has partnered with us and we are truly grateful for the experience and for them allowing us to present out design,” he said. The solar panels on top of the parking bays feed power into super capacitor cells, which gets converted into electricity to be able to charge electric vehicles, he explained.
The roll-out planned will be nationwide, to make it possible to drive anywhere you would with any other vehicle, with about 25 stations over the next few years. Over the course of the rest of this year the partnership will put up another five charging stations, Eisenberg said. Usakos and Otjiwarongo are already being investigated.
Namibia has the second best solar irradiation in the world, according to van Schalkwyk, who is very excited about the future of renewal power in the country. Another enthusiast who is particularly excited about electric vehicles is Sybrand de Waal, who made sure not the miss the launch event.
He points out that the M&Z charging stations work for all electric vehicles, not just Mercedes Benz. He said that the uptake for electric vehicles in the country is not happening fast enough, based on published government objectives.
“it saves me money, it saves time because I don’t have to stop at the service station, and it’s better for the environment,” he said, calling it a win-win-win investment. He is also a fan of the effortless acceleration that electric vehicles offer. “Even though electric vehicles are a new thing, try it. You won’t know until you have a test drive. Maybe you will be surprised with what you find,” he adds.
[email protected]
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