One of South Africa’s foremost public electric vehicle (EV) charge point operators (CPOs) observed a remarkable increase in charging activity on its network during April 2026.
Rubicon, the second-largest CPO in South Africa, recorded a 28% month-on-month increase in energy consumption at its charge points between March and April 2026.
In March, Rubicon’s fast direct current (DC) and slower alternating current (AC) chargers dispensed roughly 80,841 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy.
That increased to 103,317kWh, the highest monthly consumption yet on Rubicon’s network by a substantial margin.
For reference, the company’s total EV energy dispensed in 2023 was 163,817kWh, working out to 448kWh per day.
In 2025, that figure had increased by 281% to 625,000kWh — or about 1,712kWh on average per day. In the first four months of the year, EVs consumed 337,750kWh at Rubicon’s stations.
That works out to 2,815kWh per day, a 64% increase over 2025. The energy dispensed is equivalent to the full capacity of roughly 40 EVs with a 70kWh battery, the average for medium-sized cars.
However, it should be noted that the number of cars plugging in is likely much higher, as EV drivers rarely charge from empty to full at public stations.
Rubicon’s e-mobility head Hilton Musk described the increase as “dramatic” and “unheard of.” While MyBroadband is privy to specific revenue figures, we were asked not to share them at this time.
However, we can reveal that the first four months’ revenue was already greater than in the entire 2024 and about half of 2025’s revenue.
It should also be noted that Rubicon historically observed lower charger usage in the first few months of the year.
Therefore, the usage should continue to grow, especially given recent trends in EV sales in the country. In March 2026, dealers recorded a monthly record of 389 new units sold.
A part of that increase was due to Chinese manufacturer BYD reporting its first monthly sales tally. It contributed 316 units to the total.
The period also saw a 45% increase in searches for used EVs on AutoTrader, which the platform’s CEO, George Mienie, attributed to surging fuel prices.
The sales numbers of EVs in April 2026 remain to be confirmed, but it’s highly plausible that another record was achieved.
BYD’s total sales increased from 589 to 705 units. If the proportion of fully electric models in BYD’s sales remained at roughly 50% as in March, it could have sold close to 350 EVs in April 2026.
In addition, Volvo parent Geely launched its E2 electric hatchback for R2,000 cheaper than BYD’s top-selling EV — the Dolphin Surf.
The company only re-entered the South African market in late 2025 and must still report its sales figures, but analysts expect the E2 to be a hit.
The E2 was China’s best-selling car overall in 2025 and offers several advantages over the Dolphin Surf, including greater power, a larger battery, and a more spacious interior.
Due to low EV adoption, South Africa historically had among the best charger-to-car ratios in the world. Some EV drivers might be concerned that this will change with the recent sales surge.
MyBroadband has also kept a keen eye on the live status map of South Africa’s largest CPO, GridCars, over the last two years.
It includes chargers from its own network, Rubicon, and Chargify. We have increasingly observed more of these chargers being shown as “in use” simultaneously in 2026.
While there was previously more use in urban areas, several facilities on longer-distance routes have recently seen increased charging activity.
However, at least for the time being, it does not appear that the increased usage has caused significant congestion.
In a poll on one of South Africa’s largest EV owner groups on Facebook, 46% said they have never had to queue for a DC fast charger.
Another 46% said they only had to do so for less than half of their charging stops, while 8% said they needed to wait more than half the time.
Full article HERE
(source: Mybroadband)