Johannesburg, 7 October 2026 — The electric truck trial 2026 reaches its hardest leg today. Two battery-electric SANY trucks are scheduled to run loaded from Durban to Johannesburg on the N3 on 7 and 8 October. The run closes a test of more than 4,000 kilometres on the N1, N2 and N3. It also starts on the day that 50ppm diesel rises to a record R33.29 a litre.
Organiser flx EV started the trial in Boksburg on 23 September. Since then, the trucks have driven about 1,400 kilometres to Cape Town and then followed the coast through Gqeberha and East London towards Durban. One truck is a 35-ton 4×2 truck-tractor, while the other is an 8-ton rigid. Both are production vehicles, supplied by SANY South Africa and GHM Machinery.
The partners want verified data rather than brochure claims. GoMetro records each truck’s data once a second through its ZAPPP telematics system, and the Smart Freight Centre will then check the results independently. The Kuehne Climate Center is backing the work. “We cannot wait for external markets to prove electric trucking for African conditions,” said Justin Coetzee, chief executive of GoMetro and founder of flx EV.
What The Electric Truck Trial 2026 Covers
The route links South Africa’s main freight corridors in one loop. It runs from Johannesburg to Cape Town on the N1, then along the N2 to Durban, and finally back to Gauteng on the N3. The organisers say the distance beats the existing benchmark for an independent test of this truck class by more than 25%, because that benchmark stands at about 3,000 kilometres. However, the N3 leg matters most to hauliers. It is the country’s busiest freight route, and it climbs from sea level to the Highveld. It is also the leg the organisers have set aside for a loaded test.
Why Charging Is The Weak Point
So far, the trucks have coped better than the chargers. According to the organisers, the first leg showed that public charging sites were built mainly for cars. As a result, the trucks struggled to fit into standard charging bays. At Colesberg, for example, a 150 kW charger could serve only one truck at a time. The team therefore carries a generator and its own charger as a backup.
Dedicated truck charging is planned, but it is not yet built. In June, GridCars said it would install 650 kW truck chargers at three highway sites within 12 months, with an average charge of about 45 minutes. It also set a target price of R4.50 to R5.50 a kilowatt-hour, against a market rate of R7.35 at the time. Meanwhile, the Department of Transport’s truck stop framework includes electric-vehicle charging among the facilities it wants at graded truck stops.
Analysis
What The Electric Truck Trial 2026 Means For Fleets
The timing gives the 2026 electric truck trial unusual weight. Diesel has risen by R6.38 a litre in two months, as the Desk set out in its report on the official October fuel prices. In addition, truck sales in September stalled, so few operators are in a hurry to buy anything new. Even so, every rand added to diesel moves the point at which electricity becomes cheaper. The trial will not settle the question alone, because it tests two trucks rather than a fleet. Still, it should give South African operators independently verified long-distance numbers from their own corridors.
The Desk Calculation: Diesel Against Electricity Per Kilometre
Here is the arithmetic, with the assumptions shown. First, diesel. A truck-tractor that covers 2.5 kilometres on a litre now spends R13.32 on fuel for each kilometre at R33.29. Second, electricity. The trial has not yet published its consumption, so the Desk uses a local fleet figure instead. In July, Volvo Trucks South Africa reported an average of 1.77 kWh a kilometre across its electric trucks here. That fleet ranges from 8-ton rigids to interlink tractors, so the figure is a guide rather than a SANY result. At that rate, a public fast charger at R7.35 a kilowatt-hour costs R13.01 a kilometre. So the saving is only 31 cents a kilometre.
Third, the break-even. On these assumptions, electricity beats diesel only below R7.52 a kilowatt-hour, while public fast charging costs between R7 and R8. At the end of August, when 50ppm cost R26.91, the break-even was R6.08. Two diesel increases have therefore lifted it by R1.44. Fourth, the target price. If truck charging reaches R4.50 to R5.50, the cost falls to between R7.97 and R9.74 a kilometre. For a truck that covers 10,000 kilometres a month, that saves roughly R35,800 to R53,500 on energy.
Finally, the caveat. These sums exclude the higher purchase price of an electric truck. GridCars has said operators doubt they can recover that premium quickly enough at current charging prices. So the price of a kilowatt-hour, rather than the truck itself, decides the case for now.
Charging Time: The Second Cost
Time is the other half of the sum. A 150 kW charger delivers 150 kWh in an hour, which covers about 85 kilometres at 1.77 kWh a kilometre. In other words, an hour of charging buys roughly an hour on the road. The Durban to Johannesburg run of about 570 kilometres needs some 1,009 kWh. That would take almost seven hours on such a charger, before any slowdown as the battery fills. However, a 650 kW unit would deliver the same energy in about an hour and a half, provided the truck can accept that power.
Electric Truck Trial 2026: The Energy Sums
| Scenario | Cost per kilometre | Durban to Johannesburg, about 570 km |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel at R33.29 a litre | R13.32, so a record | About R7,590, while the truck burns 228 litres |
| Public fast charge at R7.35 | R13.01, so only 31 cents less | About R7,415, but that is just R175 cheaper |
| Truck charging at R5.50 | R9.74, rather than R13.32 | About R5,549, so R2,041 cheaper |
| Truck charging at R4.50 | R7.97, still the lowest | About R4,540, so R3,050 cheaper |
| Diesel in August at R26.91 | R10.76, before two increases | About R6,135, when the break-even was R6.08 |
The Numbers Behind The Electric Truck Trial 2026
Fleet Impact
How Fleets Can Prepare Before The Results Land
No operator needs to order an electric truck this week. However, the trial shows which numbers decide the case, and most fleets do not yet have them. The first is real diesel consumption per route, because the comparison starts there. Digit D-Fuel records what every truck burns on every lane, so the diesel side of the comparison is a measurement and not a guess. The second is the duty cycle. Vehicle tracking for fleet management shows daily distances, stops and dwell times, which reveals the routes where a truck could charge while it waits anyway.
- First, measure diesel use per route now. At R33.29 a litre, a truck that covers 2.5 kilometres a litre spends R13.32 on every kilometre.
- Second, ask charging providers for a price per kilowatt-hour. Below R7.52, electricity wins on the Desk’s assumptions, while above it diesel still does.
- Third, map dwell time. An hour on a 150 kW charger adds about 85 kilometres, so long loading stops matter more than top speed.
- Finally, watch for the verified results. When the electric truck trial 2026 publishes its consumption figures, replace 1.77 kWh with the real number.
Fleet Technology
Fleet Technology For The Diesel Or Electric Decision
An electric truck is a spreadsheet decision before it is a purchase. The spreadsheet needs real inputs. Digit D-Fuel shows what each truck actually burns per kilometre, per route and per driver, including the litres lost while idling. DigitFMS tracking then adds the distances, stops and dwell times that decide whether a route suits a battery. As a result, a fleet can test the electric case on its own lanes instead of on a manufacturer’s figures. Cartrack, Netstar, Tracker, Ctrack and MiX by Powerfleet provide fleet data as well. For its part, DigitFMS installs and services its systems through more than 100 branches across the country.
Key Numbers: Electric Truck Trial 2026 At A Glance
Key Numbers · Electric Truck Trial 2026
Trial: more than 4,000 km on the N1, N2 and N3; started in Boksburg on 23 September 2026, while the loaded Durban to Johannesburg leg is scheduled for 7 and 8 October
Trucks: a SANY 35-ton 4×2 truck-tractor and an 8-ton rigid, both production vehicles; telematics data logged once a second, then verified by the Smart Freight Centre
Charging: the 150 kW charger at Colesberg served one truck at a time; GridCars plans 650 kW truck chargers at three highway sites, so its target is R4.50 to R5.50 a kWh against R7.35
Diesel: 50ppm at R33.29 a litre inland from 7 October, so R13.32 a kilometre at 2.5 km a litre; R26.91 at the end of August, before two increases
Desk calculation: 1.77 kWh a kilometre (Volvo Trucks South Africa fleet average) at R7.35 = R13.01 a kilometre; break-even R7.52 a kWh, rather than R6.08 in August; N3 run about 1,009 kWh
Source: the trial organisers, as reported by Africa Ports & Ships, ITWeb, Bizcommunity and SA Trucker; Engineering News; Volvo Trucks South Africa; EWN.
Questions Answered
Frequently Asked Questions: Electric Truck Trial 2026
What Is The Electric Truck Trial 2026?
It is an independent test of two battery-electric SANY trucks over more than 4,000 kilometres of South African freight routes. flx EV organises it with GoMetro, the Kuehne Climate Center, SANY South Africa and GHM Machinery. The Smart Freight Centre will then verify the results.
Which Trucks Are Being Tested?
A 35-ton 4×2 truck-tractor and an 8-ton rigid, both built by SANY. They are production vehicles rather than prototypes.
When Is The N3 Leg?
The loaded Durban to Johannesburg leg is scheduled for 7 and 8 October 2026. It is the final stage of a loop that began in Boksburg on 23 September.
What Has The Trial Shown About Charging?
Public chargers were designed for cars rather than trucks. As a result, the trucks struggled to fit the bays on the first leg. In addition, the 150 kW charger at Colesberg could charge only one truck at a time.
Is An Electric Truck Cheaper To Run Than Diesel?
On energy alone, only just at public charging prices. On the Desk’s assumptions, diesel costs R13.32 a kilometre, while electricity costs R13.01 at R7.35 a kilowatt-hour. However, at R4.50 to R5.50 the gap widens to between R3.58 and R5.35 a kilometre. These figures exclude the purchase price.
When Will The Electric Truck Trial 2026 Publish Results?
The organisers have not announced a date. The N3 leg is due to end on 8 October, and independent verification follows after that. Until then, the electric truck trial 2026 offers lessons on routes and charging rather than final consumption figures.
Facts checked 7 October 2026. Source: Africa Ports & Ships, ITWeb, Bizcommunity, Engineering News and Volvo Trucks South Africa. Related: the record diesel price and unsustainable road freight rates.
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