VOA新闻杂志2024--Ethiopia Finds Limited Success in Moving to Electric Vehicles

As the price of fuel increased greatly in Ethiopia earlier this year, Awgachew Seleshi decided¹ to buy an electric vehicle, or EV. The decision follows government efforts to slowly remove gas-powered vehicles from the roads.

Months later, Seleshi is not sure whether it was the right decision. He now faces an uneven² supply of electricity and a lack of parts for repair. He told the Associated Press that imported parts from China are costly³ and, "few mechanics⁴ are able to fix such cars and the resale value of such cars is poor."

Seleshi's problems are like those of many in Ethiopia.

Ban on non-electric private vehicles

In January, the East African country became the first in the world to ban imports of non-electric private vehicles. The decision eased pressure on the government's use of limited foreign currency to lower the cost of fuel.

In early October, Ethiopia's government raised the price of fuel by up to 8 percent as part of a plan to slowly end fuel subsidies⁵ in Africa's second-most populous⁶ country.

Officials say more than 100,000 electric cars are imported into the country each month. And the government hopes to increase that number by 2030. By that time, the country's new dam on the Nile River is expected to produce electricity at full power.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said earlier this year that the Grand Renaissance⁷ Dam will start producing more than 5,000 megawatts of electric power within a year. Officials say such a production level would support the move to electric vehicles.

Repair services

For now, many in Addis Ababa, a city of more than 5 million people, think the country is not ready to provide enough charging stations and repair services.

The few service station owners who can fix broken electric vehicles say they have too much work. And the EV owners say they are overcharged by repair shops because of a lack of competition. Many EVs are now parked, waiting for parts to come from China.

Bareo Hassen Bareo is the transport minister. Bareo believes Ethiopia can be a model nation with a green economy, especially with the move toward electric vehicles. He said that the government will invest in public charging stations and has plans to manufacture EV batteries to reduce imports. Private efforts to manufacture EVs with South Korean carmaker Hyundai in Ethiopia, however, have collapsed⁸ over sourcing of materials.

Charging stations

Samson Berhane, an economist⁹ based in Addis Ababa, said the sudden flood of EVs into the country makes it difficult for owners to find charging stations. But, he believes Ethiopia can provide enough electricity for EVs within the next 10 years while meeting its industrial goals.

Some Ethiopians are already giving up on electric vehicles.

Yared Alemayehu sold his Chinese-made EV at a loss and bought a used Toyota Corolla. He said the EV "frequently broke," and the repair shop "was overcharging."

Taxi driver Dereje Hailu said he had high hopes for his Chinese-made EV earlier this year. But now, he says, "With such a car, I fear I might be stuck if I go far from Addis Ababa, where there are no charging stations,"

Words in This Story

mechanic - n. a person who repairs machines (such as car engines) and keeps them running properly

currency - n. the money that a country uses; a specific kind of money

subsidy¹⁰ - n. money that is paid usually by a government to keep the price of a product or service low or to help a business or organization to continue to function

resale - n. the act of selling something that you have bought

give up - phrasal verb. to stop having, doing, or using (something)

stuck - adj. difficult or impossible to move from a position

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

3 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

4 mechanics   

n.力学，机械学；结构

参考例句：

• The mechanics of fixing a car are very long.修理一部汽车的过程很长。
• The mechanics of the machine are very old.这台机器的机件非常老。

5 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

7 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

8 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

9 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

10 subsidy   

n.补助金，津贴

参考例句：

• The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
• The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。