Ethiopia’s Electric Vehicle Revolution Faces Rural Roadblocks

Ethiopia made global headlines in 2024 by becoming the first country to ban imports of fossil fuel vehicles, positioning itself as an African leader in green transportation. However, this bold vision encounters significant challenges as it moves beyond the capital’s charging stations into rural areas with insufficient energy and low income levels.

For instance, in Dubancho village, 350 km south of Addis Ababa, motorcycle taxi rider Teshale Natnael watches his earnings shrink as fuel prices rise. “An electric bike would solve my problems,” the 25-year-old says, “but we don’t have electricity here to charge it.” 

Teshale’s dilemma outlines Ethiopia’s uneven transition. True to that, the over 100,000 imported EVs since the ban remain confined to urban areas where charging infrastructure exists.

The government’s ambitious target of 500,000 EVs by 2030 faces multiple rural obstacles, including the following:

• Energy Access: Only about half of Ethiopia’s 120 million people are connected to the grid, with rural electrification lagging far behind cities. The transport ministry’s plan for charging stations every 120 km remains aspirational without massive infrastructure investment.
• Affordability Crisis: At 150,000 and 200,000 birr ($1,100−$1,500), electric scooters cost nearly ten times what rural workers like Teshale earn in a month. Traditional petrol bikes remain the only viable option despite soaring fuel costs.
• Technical Gaps: A shortage of trained EV mechanics and low awareness about electric mobility compound the challenges outside urban centres.

There’s a light of hope through renewables, where some innovators are testing solutions. Startups like Mobility for Africa are developing rugged, solar-charged tricycles for rural roads, while companies explore lease-to-own financing models. 

“We can’t wait to solve urban transport first,” argues Mobility for Africa’s Shantha Bloemen, advocating for parallel rural-urban strategies.

Without such interventions, Ethiopia’s groundbreaking EV policy risks failing. This would leave the very communities that could benefit most from cheaper, cleaner transport, and the country in an energy crisis.