ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — As the price of fuel skyrocketed in Ethiopia earlier this year, Awgachew Seleshi decided to buy a electric car. This corresponded with new government efforts to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles. But months later, he wonders if it was the right decision.

It faces a range of problems, from irregular electricity supplies in Addis Ababa, the capital, to shortages of spare parts.

“Charging my car has been a challenge,” the official said. “Spare parts imported from China are expensive, few mechanics are capable of repairing such cars, and the resale value of such cars is low.”

Seleshi’s problems reveal broader challenges for Ethiopia. In January, the East African country became the first in the world to ban the importation of non-electric private vehicles.

The decision eased pressure on authorities spending scarce foreign currency to subsidize the cost of fuel, but it also reflects growing enthusiasm for electric vehicles as the world demands more green technology to reduce emissions. emissions linked to climate change.

Earlier this month, the Ethiopian government raised the price of fuel by up to 8% as part of a plan to gradually end all fuel subsidies in Africa’s second most populous country.

Authorities have claimed success in enforcing a ban on the entry of non-electric vehicles into Ethiopia, and more than 100,000 electric cars are now imported into the country every month.

The official goal is to increase the monthly import figure to 500,000 by 2030. a big new dam Ethiopia has built on the Nile and is expected to produce electricity at full capacity.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in a televised speech earlier this year, said the Grand Renaissance Dam would begin producing more than 5,000 megawatts of electrical power within a year. Officials say such capacity would support the transition to electric vehicles.

For now, many in Addis Ababa, a city of more than 5 million people, doubt the country can meet its ambitious electric vehicle goals without the necessary additional infrastructure and services.

The few mechanics able to repair broken down electric cars say they are overwhelmed, while customers say they are being overcharged due to an apparent lack of competition.

“There are two or three garages that can repair new energy vehicles in Ethiopia and many consumers do not know how to take care of these vehicles,” said Yonas Tadelle, a mechanic in Addis Ababa. “As mechanics, we also lack the tools, spare parts and know-how to repair such cars.

Many electric vehicles are now parked in garages and parking lots waiting for parts which are expected to come from China.

Ethiopia’s transport minister, Bareo Hassen Bareo, said he believes the country can be a model nation with a green economy legacy, with a focus on electric vehicles as a key element.

The government will invest in public charging stations, he told The Associated Press, and there are plans to establish a local manufacturing plant for electric vehicle batteries to reduce dependence on imports.

Private efforts include a collaboration, which has since fizzled, between Olympian Haile Gebreselassie and South Korean automaker Hyundai to make electric vehicles in Ethiopia. This effort is believed to have failed due to the supply of materials.

Samson Berhane, an Addis Ababa-based economist, said the sudden influx of electric vehicles into the local market, despite poor infrastructure, makes it difficult for customers to adapt comfortably. Some electric vehicles sell for around $20,000.

“Very few people are willing to take the risk of buying electric cars due to the lack of infrastructure, the lack of mechanics specializing in servicing electric vehicles and the flooding of the market by Chinese brands with details questionable and long-term visibility,” Berhane said. .

But he said he believed Ethiopia was more than capable of supplying electricity for the expected 500,000 electric vehicles over the next decade, while also realizing its industrial ambitions.

Some Ethiopians are already moving away from electric vehicles and the trade in used gasoline vehicles continues. There are at least 1.2 million vehicles in Ethiopia, and only a small fraction are electric.

Businessman Yared Alemayehu purchased a Chinese-made electric vehicle that he hoped to use for a taxi service. He knew the car had a mechanical defect, but he thought it could be repaired. A mechanic disagreed.

Eventually, he sold the car at a loss and bought a Toyota Corolla – a car made in 2007 that he considered more reliable – for the equivalent of $20,000, a sum that included the heavy taxes imposed on gasoline vehicles . Taxes may be higher than the cost of importing the vehicle.

“As well as having to charge my old electric car, it frequently broke down, the garage was overloaded and the queue at the garage was overwhelming us,” he said.

Taxi driver Dereje Hailu, who had high hopes for his Chinese-made E-Star electric vehicle when he bought it earlier this year, said his expectations had been disappointed.

“With such a car, I am afraid of getting stuck if I go away from Addis Ababa where there are no charging stations,” he said.

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