The MaZero Project has reached an important milestone with the formal handover of the Solar-Powered Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations at the National University of Lesotho (NUL) Main Campus (Roma) and the Institute of Extra Mural Studies (IEMS), Maseru.

The infrastructure was handed over by the project contractor, Cloudalign (Pty) Ltd and Shared Water Systems (Pty) Ltd Joint Venture, to the Energy Research Centre (ERC), which serves as the MaZero partner representative and custodian at NUL. This handover marks the transition from construction to commissioning and operational readiness, bringing the project closer to active use.

As part of the commissioning process, ERC facilitated user training sessions, inviting NUL Domestic Staff to participate. This training forms part of the contractual commissioning requirements and ensures that users are familiar with the operation, basic management, and monitoring of the charging stations. The approach reflects MaZero’s commitment to skills transfer and local ownership, alongside infrastructure development.

To support ongoing system monitoring and management, participants were guided through the setup of remote monitoring platforms, including:

• Deye Cloud App for monitoring solar and system performance
• Autel Charge App for managing EV charging operations

Users were supported to create accounts and prepare access lists, enabling controlled and secure system monitoring. This step supports transparency, accountability, and long-term system reliability.

The solar-powered charging stations are a core component of the MaZero Project, which is exploring how renewable energy-based electric mobility can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while supporting cleaner transport solutions in Lesotho. With infrastructure now in place at both Roma and IEMS campuses, MaZero moves from planning and construction into a phase focused on learning, use, and data-driven insights.

For ERC, this milestone reflects its role in linking research, innovation, and practical implementation. As custodian of the MaZero infrastructure at NUL, ERC continues to support approaches that combine technology, skills development, and evidence generation to inform future e-mobility initiatives in Lesotho.

Further engagements and learning activities are planned as the MaZero Project progresses.