First country in the world to ban import of petrol and diesel cars

Ethiopia has quickly become a hub for the rise of electric vehicles.

Last year, the country became the first in the world to completely ban the import of gasoline and diesel cars.

In the capital Addis Ababa, electric cars are now a common sight, with the most popular models coming from Chinese manufacturer BYD, which has overtaken Tesla as the world’s largest electric car manufacturer.

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Transportation, there are currently around 115,000 EVs on the road in Ethiopia out of a total of 1.5 million cars.

The government aims to reach 500,000 EVs by 2030.

According to Deputy Transport Minister Bareo Hassen, the decision to phase out fossil fuel cars is not just about the climate.

– “It’s one of our biggest expenses,” he says, according to The Guardian, referring to the roughly $4.5 billion the country spends annually on fuel imports.

Power problems and lack of charging networks

However, Ethiopia has major challenges.

Half of the country’s population of 126 million has no access to electricity and only 20 percent of households have power for at least 23 hours a day.

The many interruptions mean that in practice, electric vehicles mainly work in cities.

There are only around 100 public charging stations in the country, mostly in Addis Ababa.

This makes EVs impractical outside the capital.

However, with the opening of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam earlier this year, electricity production is expected to double.

The dam has a capacity of 5,150 megawatts and 97 percent of Ethiopia’s electricity already comes from hydropower.

According to the authorities, this will help reduce power outages in the long run.

For many drivers in Addis Ababa, electric cars are already a big improvement.

A taxi driver named Firew Tilahun told The Guardian that he used to spend 20,000 birr a month on fuel (about 130 dollars).

Now he spends less than 3,000 birr (about 20 dollars) to charge his electric car.

– I have no plans to switch back, he says.

Challenges for rural areas and heavy traffic

However, electric cars are not yet suitable for longer journeys or for transportation in rural areas.

Coffee exporter Lema Wakgari says he is happy with his BYD, but he can’t drive to the city of Hawassa without risking running out of power.

– More charging stations need to be built. It’s a necessity, he says.

So far, there are no plans to replace the trucks that transport goods from the port city of Djibouti with electric alternatives.

For many citizens, electric cars are still expensive, even with tax exemptions.

A BYD costs around 2.2 million birr, equivalent to approximately 14,000 dollars, in a country where a doctor typically earns around 78 dollars a month.

Nevertheless, the mood in the country is beginning to change.

Several private companies and businesses are backing the change.

A director of a major driving company in Addis Ababa explains that he initially thought the electric car policy would be a failure.

– Now I’m cautiously optimistic, he tells The Guardian.