Can SANY electric trucks handle South Africa’s major freight routes? 4 000km test begins

Two SANY electric trucks have hit the road in a major South African test that could provide some of the clearest answers yet about whether battery-electric trucks can handle the country’s long-haul freight routes.

The Mzansi EV Truck Super Test 2026 got under way in Boksburg on Wednesday, 23 September, with two production SANY electric trucks setting off on a journey of more than 4,000 km.

The route will take the trucks from Johannesburg to Cape Town, then through Gqeberha, East London and Durban before returning to Johannesburg.

For truckers, the interesting part is not simply the distance.

The trucks will be tested on major freight corridors including the N1, N2 and N3, with the journey designed to measure how electric trucks perform under actual South African road and operating conditions.

The vehicles include a 35-tonne 4×2 truck tractor and an 8-tonne rigid truck.

And this is not a manufacturer-controlled demonstration run.

The independent trial is being organised by flx EV, while GoMetro is providing its ZAPPP telematics technology to record detailed vehicle and energy data throughout the journey. SANY’s role is limited to supplying the trucks and standard warranty support.

One of the biggest questions will be charging.

The test will examine whether charging infrastructure originally designed largely around passenger electric vehicles can cope with commercial trucks, while also identifying the energy requirements of major freight routes.

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The trucks are due to reach Cape Town on 28 September before continuing with further load and route testing.

The final part of the journey will be particularly interesting for South African truck drivers: a fully loaded climb from Durban back to Johannesburg on the N3.

That section should provide useful real-world data on energy consumption when an electric truck is carrying a load while tackling one of the country’s most demanding freight corridors.

For an industry that has spent decades running diesel-powered rigs across South Africa, the results could be significant.

The test won’t answer every question about electric trucking, but it should provide something the industry needs far more than promises: real data from real trucks on real South African freight routes.