Marathon Motors owned by Haile Gebrselassie (the former star athlete whose two resorts were burnt in Oromia Region) has just produced its first electric car for the Ethiopian market.
The electric cars to be produced by Marathon Motors are brands of Hyundai of South Korea.
The cars are to be charged at home just like mobile phones or computers. The cars can cover 304 kilometers on a single full charge.
There is also an alternative of using a mobile power bank which can charge the car fully in 30 minutes.
Once Marathon Motors captures a large market, they plan to invest on charging stations across the country.
The introduction of electric cars in Ethiopia is expected to save the country’s foreign exchange by reducing the amount of fuel imported.
Haile gifted the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, with a brand new electric car. The former athlete and current businessman, Haile, told media houses that he will never stop investing in Ethiopia despite losing his two resorts to arsonists in Oromia Region. He added that he is going to launch even a bigger resort on 1st August in Adama City located on Oromia Region.
For many years before official opening of an electric car assembly plant in Ethiopia, Marathon Motors, was the sole agent of Hyundai Motors.
It is estimated that at half (50 million) Ethiopians do not have access to electricity and even major cities including the capital city Addis Ababa have been experiencing power blackouts on a regular basis.
Ethiopia currently produces 4,200 megawatts but once the Great Ethiopian Reconnaissance Dam (GERD) becomes fully operations that capacity will be doubled.
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