When Hen Deghareg Bekele, an architect in his early 30s, bought a Volkswagen electric car this year, he was a little skeptical. Not only is his hometown the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, which is prone to constant power outages, but he also had doubts about the quality of his new vehicle.
Four months later, Deghareg is happy with the purchase because he no longer has to endure long lines at the gas pump caused by Ethiopia’s chronic fuel shortage.
“I would have to wait two to three hours, even if I got there early in the morning, and they often run out of gas before it’s your turn,” he says. “Having an EV saves me a lot of time. I have no regrets.”
Until recently, electric vehicles were almost unheard of in Ethiopia. But last year it became the first country to ban the import of combustion engine vehicles. EVs are now a common sight in the capital. The most common brand is China’s BYD, which recently overtook Tesla as the world’s largest EV maker, although Western vehicles are also popular.
About 115,000 EVs are now on Ethiopian roads, out of a total of 1.5 million cars in the country, according to the Ministry of Transport. It wants to increase the number to 500,000 by 2030.
Ethiopia is an unlikely proponent of the EV transition. About half of its 126 million people have no access to electricity . Only 20% of households have access to it at least 23 hours a day . And only a third of households have access to the grid. The power cuts mean many factories are not operating at full capacity.
These shortcomings will be alleviated to some extent after Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam was completed this month, 14 years after construction began. With a peak capacity of 5,150 megawatts , it will double Ethiopia’s current electricity output – 97% of which already comes from hydropower.
But problems remain with the national grid, which is prone to outages and will cost billions of dollars to extend to rural communities currently cut off from power.
“We have huge potential in renewable energy,” says Bareo Hassen, the country’s transport minister. He says the decision to ban the import of diesel and gasoline vehicles is part of Ethiopia’s efforts to promote green policies and reduce pollution that chokes the capital during rush hour.
But the main motivation is economic. Ethiopia spends about $4.5 billion (£3.3 billion) a year importing fuel – a huge sum in a country where foreign exchange is scarce and poverty is widespread. “It’s one of our main expenses,” says Bareo.
By contrast, Ethiopia’s hydropower is cheap as well as green. This has helped win over skeptical drivers in Addis Ababa, who have seen pump prices more than double in the past three years.
Firew Tilahun, a taxi driver, estimates that he used to spend 20,000 Ethiopian Birr (£105) a month on fuel, a significant portion of his income. He now spends less than 3,000 Birr a month charging his Chinese EV.
Pēc biļetenu veicināšanas
“Man nav plāna mainīties,” viņš saka, kad viņš ir uz augšu akumulatoru jaunā uzlādes stacijā Adisabebā. “Dažreiz mums ir strāvas padeves pārtraukumi, bet mēs pārvaldām.”
Lai veicinātu EV pārņemšanu, Etiopija viņiem ir piešķīrusi plašus nodokļu atbrīvojumus. Viņi joprojām ir ļoti dārgi, un BYD modelis maksā aptuveni 2,2 miljonus Etiopijas Birr (11 000 sterliņu mārciņu) valstī, kur ārsti mēnesī nopelna vidēji 60 sterliņu mārciņu. Bet sadegšanas motora automašīnas arī iegūst debesu augstās cenas, kas bija importa nodevu rezultāts 200%, kas bija izveidots pirms viņu aizlieguma, kas savvaļas izkropļoja lietotu transportlīdzekļu tirgu.
Etiopija arī veicina vietējo ražošanu, taču pagaidām skala ir maza. Vienu no galvenajām vietām vada Belayneh Kinde Group, rūpnieciskā konglomerāts ar vietni Adisabebas rietumu nomalē, kur mehānika montē 150 ķīniešu mikroautobusus lielā angārā.
“Mūsu uzmanības centrā nevajadzētu būt tikai importēšanai,” saka Bareo. “Mēs vēlējāmies radīt vietējo ražošanas spēju, lai mūsu pilsoņiem radītu vietējās prasmes un darba iespējas.”
Tomēr pēkšņa pāreja uz EV ir bijusi nevienmērīga. Autovadītāji sūdzas, ka viņiem tika dots maz laika, lai sagatavotos. Etiopijā ir tikai nedaudz vairāk par 100 uzlādes stacijām no mērķa, kas pārsniedz 2300, salīdzinot ar 21 600 Londonā. Gandrīz visi no tiem atrodas Adisabebā. Tas izraksta braucienus uz laukiem, kur strāvas padeves pārtraukumi ir īpaši bieži. Tas arī padara EV īpašumu ļoti nepraktisku ārpus galvaspilsētas.
At another charging station in Addis Ababa, coffee export manager Lema Wakgari says he is “really happy” with his BYD, but laments that he cannot drive to Hawassa, a popular lakeside resort 177 miles (285 km) south of Addis Ababa, without running the risk of getting stuck.
“They need to build more charging stations – it’s a must,” he says. “Even in Addis, there aren’t many available. Right now, there are no electric vehicles outside the city. This car can go 420 km. What are you going to do?”
There are also no plans to introduce electric versions of the heavy trucks that generate much of Ethiopia’s imports from a port in neighboring Djibouti. As the fleet begins to decline from wear and tear, the economy could feel the impact.
The CEO of a major ride-hailing company in Addis Ababa says most of his drivers are skeptical about the durability of the vehicle’s batteries and how they will hold their value. But he is smitten after his purchase and is hopeful that the country’s EV infrastructure will catch up with demand.
“When this policy was introduced, I thought it was going to be a spectacular failure because we don’t have good energy infrastructure, we have a lot of power outages and there aren’t a lot of charging stations,” he says.
“Now I’m cautiously optimistic.”
