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As the price of fuel soared in Ethiopia earlier this year, many decided to buy electric cars and vehicles. Those who bought EVs face new challenges, mainly erratic supply of electricity.
In Ethiopia, the push toward electric vehicles (EVs) reflects a proactive shift toward reducing fuel dependence and curbing pollution. Yet, logistical issues keep many vehicles sidelined. Limited charging stations, a scarcity of repair facilities, and a shortage of spare parts present serious obstacles. Without adequate infrastructure, the promise of a cleaner, more efficient transport system is stalling.
As the price of fuel soared in Ethiopia earlier this year, many decided to buy electric cars and vehicles. Those who bought EVs face new challenges, mainly erratic supply of electricity.
Earlier this month, Ethiopia’s government raised the price of fuel by up to 8% as part of a plan to gradually end all fuel subsidies in Africa’s second-most populous country. Authorities have claimed some success in enforcing the ban on non-electric vehicles entering Ethiopia, and more than 100,000 electric cars are now being imported into the country each month.
The official target is to increase the monthly import figure to 500,000 by 2030. By that time, a big new dam Ethiopia has built on the Nile River is expected to be producing power at full capacity.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in a televised address earlier this year, said the Grand Renaissance Dam will start generating more than 5,000 megawatts of electric power within a year. Authorities say such capacity would support the transition to electric vehicles.
For now, many in Addis Ababa, a city of more than 5 million people, are doubtful the country can achieve its ambitious goals for electric vehicles without further needed infrastructure and services. The few garage owners who can fix broken electric cars say they are overwhelmed, while customers say they are being overcharged amid an apparent lack of competition.
Ethiopia’s minister in charge of transport, Bareo Hassen Bareo, has said he believes the country can be a model nation with a green economy legacy, with the prioritization of electric vehicles as a key component.
The government will invest in public charging stations, he told The Associated Press, and there are plans to create a plant manufacturing EV batteries locally to reduce reliance on imports.
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Private efforts have included a collaboration, which has since fizzled, between Olympian Haile Gebreselassie and South Korean carmaker Hyundai to make electric vehicles in Ethiopia. That effort is believed to have collapsed over the sourcing of materials.
