The Garden Route’s green mobility future is charging forward with the confirmation of a new public-private pledge signed off recently at the François Ferreira Academy.
The initiative will result in land being set aside and infrastructure introduced for the establishment of a new electric vehicle (EV) charging station in George — one of the first of its nature in the region.
According to Jan Greyling from UXi Artisan Development, the site, donated by the François Ferreira Academy for the EV charging station, marks the first step in a broader rollout of EV charging stations strategically located along the N2 and in rural tourism nodes from Cape Town International Airport to Plettenberg Bay.
“The goal is to future-proof mobility in the Garden Route and beyond — supporting the transition to electric transport and enabling infrastructure for both locals and visitors.
“This collaboration follows the Garden Route EV Seminar, hosted last week at Africa Skills George Tech, where the growing demand for skilled artisans to support the EV sector took centre stage,” Greyling said.
He said the seminar explored SA’s evolving EV market and its impact on training, artisan development, and job creation.
The EV pledge was formally signed this week by the executive mayor of Garden Route district municipality, Andrew Stroebel, Solar Energy Africa MD Jessica van der Merwe and UXi Artisan Development new business development director Phillip Harmse.
Stroebel reaffirmed the municipality’s vision, saying: “As a global tourism hub, the Garden Route must be EV-ready.
“We’re embracing innovation and partnerships to make this happen.”
Stroebel said as the demand for EV adoption increases and the national government explores limitations on internal combustion imports, the Garden Route stands poised to become a leading green mobility destination — powered by solar [power], driven by skilled artisans, and supported through strong public-private collaboration.
Speaking at the seminar, acting chief director of the Western Cape department of mobility, Anthonie Janse van Rensburg, confirmed the rollout of new EV infrastructure.
“Our vision is to establish fast, efficient EV charging hubs across the N2 corridor and urban centres.
“This is part of our broader EV fleet migration strategy for provincial and local government,” he said.
The Herald
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