<
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/17/climate/ethiopia-evs-gas-car-ban-climate/>
"Long lines have been forming at gas stations in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis
Ababa, amid fuel shortages and a price spike in recent months.
But electric vehicle driver Mikial Belayneh avoids them completely.
“I no longer line up for petrol on the road,” Belayneh, an Addis resident, told
CNN. A full charge of his imported Toyota bZ4X – a popular EV in the country
– “is more than enough for two days.”
Belayneh, who charges his car at home, is part of rapid transition to EVs in
Addis Ababa, a fast-growing city in the horn of Africa at the center of
Ethiopia’s goal to hoist millions of people out of poverty.
In addition to the polluting cars and trucks rumbling along the roads, cleaner
— and quieter — vehicles are joining the traffic. Electric buses, smaller
15-seat minibuses, cars and motorbikes are popping up on the streets of the
capital.
There are around 100,000 EVs in Ethiopia so far.
The Ethiopian government estimates that number will more than quadruple by
2032. That’s largely because the national government took the extraordinary
step earlier this year of banning the import of all gas-powered passenger
vehicles — becoming the first nation in the world to do so.
It also effectively slashed the customs tax on imported cars: The tax on gas
vehicles was up to 200% before they were banned, while the import tax for fully
assembled EVs is just 15%, according to the country’s finance ministry.
It’s part of a government-led effort to get more EVs on the streets.
The lower rates are also spurring more local EV manufacturing. Hundreds of the
vehicles were assembled by Ethiopia-based Belayneh Kindie Group using parts
imported from China. Besufekad Shewaye, manager at the company, told CNN that
import tariffs are “almost zero percent” for EV parts that are assembled in
Ethiopia.
“Nowadays most vehicle owners prefer EVs, especially light vehicles,” Shewaye
said. “The demand is increasing from day to day.”"
Via
Fix the News:
https://fixthenews.com/light-into-lightning/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
