(3 minutes read)
· Ethiopian athlete and investor, Athlete Haile ebrselassie’d firm- Marathon Motors – has introduced in the country the first electric car assembled in Ethiopia. The assembled car is the South Korean make, Hyundai
· Experts feel that the electric cars assembled indigenously would help Ethiopia save a lot of foreign exchange
· The Ethiopian athlete believes that once power generation picks up, demand for electric cars would increase manifold
Ethiopian athlete and investor, Athlete Haile Gebrselassie’d firm- Marathon Motors – has introduced in the country the first electric car assembled in Ethiopia. The assembled car is the South Korean make, Hyundai. The car, which can run 304 kms with a single charge, is very handy and can be charged at home like a mobile phone. Besides, a 50 kilowatts portable charger can also charge the car fully in 30 minutes. Marathon Motors also has plans to install charging stations across the country like gas stations.
Experts feel that the electric cars assembled indigenously would help Ethiopia save a lot of foreign exchange. Besides, it would help the country to reduce the carbon footprint. It is important to note that a few weeks ago two resorts cum hotels owned by Haile were burnt by a mob. But that did not kill the spirit of the athlete. He is opening up a new hotel resort in Adama city of Oromia Region of Ethiopia, which is 85 kms of capital city of Addis Ababa.
One problem that is staring at the new initiative is the lack of electrification in the country. Most of the regions in the country are experiencing power shortages including the capital city. Ethiopia’s total production of electricity is only 4200 MW, which is likely to go up with the commissioning of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The Ethiopian athlete believes that once power generation picks up, demand for electric cars would increase manifold.
