EAST AFRICA – The world’s first country to commit to 100% EVs has been unveiled and it does not come from where you expect. Of all the nations in the world that spend a lot of time talking about zero emissions and what we should be doing for the planet, Ethiopia is the last place on earth you would expect to ban the import of all gasoline powered vehicles.
Yet they have. East Africa overall has experienced a surge in investments and the nations are leaps and bounds ahead of their American or European counterparts at achieving the world’s zero emission goals.
What is the history of the electric vehicle in Africa?
Africa has always had the same problem with EV’s, infrastructure. In a continent where most people survive on a fraction of what the American earns, costs mean a lot to people. A vehicle that costs nothing to refuel and only needs the electricity from your house that you were already lucky to have was a no brainer. Africans love anything that can save money in their every day lives.
The emergence of the EV sector and the subsequent popularity that companies like Tesla found on the global market place was all the evidence we needed. The problems that most African nations face always comes back to the people suffering, in this instance its the infrastructure. With most African countries having dodgy electricity infrastructure at best, the EV struggled to find a home in Africa.
But all that is slowly(admittedly) changing. The world’s nations have all committed to a zero emission future and Ethiopia have gone further then any other nation at actually achieving it. The reason for this comes down to a few factors, chief among which is that the African economies are booming. Africa has a young population and the new generation expect different things from their governments and car manufacturers.
How have Ethiopia and East Africa become the global leaders in the EV sector?
It comes down to the fact that the African nations like Ethiopia have incentivized the EV sector heavily. They have seen the EV sector as an opportunity to lead the world. The thing is that Africa is not as dependent on gasoline as the rest of the world. In some African countries you might struggle to find gasoline even. So the opportunity is there to invest in the new infrastructure that was going to be built anyway, why not make it for EV’s?
That seems to be what Ethiopia have thought. They have officially announced that as of January 2024, they have banned the import of combustion-powered vehicles. A driving factor was certainly the countries heavy fuel bill. Ethiopia’s rapid economic growth is the fastest among all African countries south of the Sahara and this had led to huge foreign investments into the EV sector for the future.
Local African EV makers are emerging as well. Kiira Motors (Uganda), Kantanka (Ghana), and Innoson Motors (Nigeria) have all seen steady growth and will no doubt welcome the electrification of the roads in Africa. While America and Europe face the same old problems, Africa is leading the world in the embracement and implementation of the EV market.
Will Africa continue to lead the global electrification efforts towards zero emissions?
The world faces a very dark and slow future of we do not find a solution to the energy crisis, some countries have looked towards alternative fuel sources as a potential answer. The truth is that the world has the infrastructure already in place. The majority of the world have electricity in some form for their citizens, even if its only in the larger cities or built up areas, so why not improve it and use to for our mobility needs? The governments of the world treat their car owners very differently, and Ethiopia has just made their message clear, they will only except EV’s from this point onwards. And so should you.
This story was published in Coaches Database
