Ethiopians turn to electric vehicles in numbers

Ethiopians are increasingly turning to electric vehicles as fuel prices rise and long queues persist at petrol stations, with the government planning to ban imports of petrol-powered cars by 2030. The shift has led to a rapid increase in EV adoption, with more than 115,000 electric vehicles now on the country’s roads and about 16 local assembly plants in operation, according to official figures.

Kemeriya Mehammed Abduraheman, EV car owner said  "Ever since I've bought my EV, my power costs are very, very minimum compared to the, the amount of money that I used to spend on gas. You know, the amount of gas that, that's reduced by, I could almost say by 50-60%, I've been able to reduce the costs that I used to spend on gas."

While EVs offer lower running costs compared to petrol vehicles, drivers face challenges with limited charging infrastructure and frequent power outages, which often result in long waits at public charging points. Authorities say the 2030 ban on petrol imports is aimed at reducing emissions and supporting the expansion of Ethiopia’s electric vehicle sector.