ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — As the price of gasoline rose in Ethiopia at the beginning of the year, Awgachew Seleshi decided to buy an electric car. That is in line with the government’s new efforts to phase out gas-powered vehicles. But months later, he wonders if it was the right decision.
He faces many problems, from poor electricity supply in Addis Ababa, the capital, to a shortage of spare parts.
“Charging my car has been a challenge,” said the civil servant.
Seleshi’s problems point to broader challenges in Ethiopia. In January, the East African country became the first in the world to ban the import of non-electric private vehicles.
The decision eased pressure on authorities who use less foreign currency to subsidize fuel costs, but also showed growing enthusiasm for electric cars as the world looks for more green technology to cut climate-changing emissions.
Earlier this month, the Ethiopian government raised fuel prices by up to 8% as part of a plan to phase out all fuel subsidies in Africa’s second most populous country.
Authorities say they have succeeded in enforcing a ban on non-electric vehicles entering Ethiopia, and more than 100,000 electric vehicles are now imported into the country each month.
The official goal is to increase the monthly number of imports to 500,000 by 2030. At that time, Ethiopia’s new large dam built on the Nile River is expected to be at full capacity.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in a televised speech earlier this year, said the Grand Renaissance Dam will start producing more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity within a year. Authorities say such power will support the transition to electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, many in Addis Ababa, a city of more than 5 million people, doubt that the country can achieve its ambitious electric vehicle goals without the necessary infrastructure and services.
The few garage owners who can fix broken electric cars say they are struggling, while customers say they are being overcharged due to a lack of competition.
“There are two or three garages that can repair power cars in Ethiopia and many buyers do not know how to take care of these cars,” said Yonas Tadelle, a mechanic in Addis Ababa. spare parts and repair knowledge for such vehicles.”
Many EVs are now parked in garages and parking lots waiting for parts that are expected to come from China.
The minister of transportation in Ethiopia, Bareo Hassen Bareo, said that he believes that the country can be a good example with a history of an economy that protects the environment, as the prioritization of electric vehicles is an important factor.
The government will invest in public charging stations, he told the Associated Press, and there are plans to create a local EV battery industry to reduce reliance on imports.
Private efforts have included a partnership, which has been volatile, between Olympian Haile Gebreselassie and South Korean automaker Hyundai to develop electric vehicles in Ethiopia. That effort is believed to have collapsed due to material availability.
Samson Berhane, an economist based in Addis Ababa, said that the sudden influx of electric vehicles arriving in the local market despite the lack of infrastructure makes it difficult for customers to practice comfortably. Some EVs sell for around $20,000.
“Very few people are willing to take the risk of buying electric vehicles due to the lack of infrastructure, the lack of specialized EV repair equipment and the market being flooded with Chinese products with questionable specifications and long-term visibility,” Berhane said. .
But he said he believes Ethiopia is more than capable of supplying electricity to the 500,000 EVs expected there over the next decade while fulfilling its industrial ambitions.
Some Ethiopians have stopped buying electric cars, while the second-hand trade in gasoline-powered cars continues. There are at least 1.2 million vehicles across Ethiopia, and only a small fraction are electric.
Businessman Yared Alemayehu bought an electric car made in China that he hoped to use to transport taxis. He knew the car had a problem, but he believed it could be fixed. The mechanic disagreed.
In the end, he sold the car at a loss and bought a Toyota Corolla – a car made in 2007 that he felt was very reliable – for the equivalent of $20,000, a sum that included the high tax placed on gasoline vehicles. Taxes can be higher than the cost of importing a car.
“In addition to charging my old electric car, it often broke down, and the garage was overcharged, and the list in the garage was confusing,” he said.
A taxi driver, Dereje Hailu, who had high hopes for his E-Star electric car made in China when he bought it earlier this year, said that his expectations were dashed.
“With such a car, I am afraid that I might get stuck if I leave Addis Ababa where there are no charging stations,” he said.
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