GoMetro and flx EV have kicked off the Mzansi electric truck super test 2026 in partnership with Germany’s Kuehne Climate Centre (KCC).

The test will see Chinese-made Sany battery electric trucks travel roughly 4 000 km along South Africa’s major freight routes, as they move from Johannesburg to Cape Town to Gqeberha to East London to Durban and finally on to Johannesburg.

Two production Sany electric trucks, a 35-t 4 X 2 horse and an 8-t rigid, depart Boksburg, Gauteng, today [September 23].

The independent trial is organised by flx EV without vehicle manufacturer control over routes, telemetry or reporting.

The truck manufacturer’s role is limited to supplying the vehicle and standard warranty support, which means there are no Sany engineers on route, no Sany-specific charging equipment, and the manufacturer has no say on how the results are reported.

Leg 1 reaches Cape Town on September 28, in time for the Africa E-Mobility Week.

This is to be followed by a mountain load test, coast-to-coast legs, and a fully loaded Highveld climb from Durban back to Johannesburg.

The trucks have been fitted with high-resolution 1 Hertz EV Telematics units called ZAPPP, which is a GoMetro product.

These units will record detailed operating data for the full test distance.

The project sets out to test two things, says flx EV, namely how heavy electric trucks perform over long distances under South African conditions, and how well charging infrastructure built for passenger cars can serve commercial transport.

The testing circuit will also measure the energy requirements of South Africa’s main freight routes, with testing on the N1, N2 and N3 highways.

“We cannot wait for external markets to prove electric trucking for African conditions…we are generating unassailable, real-world data that we hope will prove commercial electric vehicle viability, while demonstrating exactly where dedicated truck charging hubs are urgently required,” says GoMetro CEO and flx EV founder Justin Coetzee.

"Africa needs its own tested, verified and practical e-mobility solutions,” adds KCC climate and logistics senior manager Olivia Lamenya.

“KCC is proud to back this landmark trial to give operators, policymakers, and investors the facts they need to transition commercial fleets with confidence.”

GoMetro and flx EV focus on the delivery of end-to-end commercial fleet electrification, CAN-bus telematics and smart energy management across global transport networks.

KCC is a research and implementation initiative dedicated to decarbonising global logistics and freight transport.