Q&A: Climate leaders with answers

Abiero Origa is a Manufacturing Manager at Dodai, a Japanese company in Ethiopia assembling and selling electric motorcycles

Q. Ethiopia plans to ban the import of fuel motorbikes – how is that going? A: The public is very supportive. Unlike in Kenya where public transport has been a big player in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, here in Ethiopia it is individuals that most embrace electric mobility. 

Q. Ethiopia achieved its 10-year EV import plan in just 2 years – how? A: Making EVs duty-free helped. Also, the country has plenty of cheap and renewable energy. 

Q. What stands between here and further mass adoption? A: Implementation of charging infrastructure. In Ethiopia, the government is setting up fast chargers in Addis Ababa. However, across the region the relevant stakeholders are yet to address this properly. 

Q. How can you bring down vehicle prices for consumers? A: Acquiring input materials locally will bring down production costs and hence prices.

Q. What about competition? A: That too can bring down prices! Standardisation of spare parts makes them more commonly used and hence cheaper, especially with smaller components such as stands and carriers.