Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed test-driving Ethiopia's first locally-assembled electric car in Addis Ababa on Monday, July 27th, 2020. The Hyundai vehicle is produced by Marathon Motor Engineering, which is owned by athletics legend Haile Gebrselassie (pictured left). (Photo via twitter)
1st Ethiopian-Assembled All-Electric Hyundai Ioniq Rolls Out Of Haile Gebrselassie’s Marathon Motor Engineering Plant
Marathon Motor Engineering, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Company and Olympic Champion Haile Gebrselassie, has started assembling the all-electric Hyundai Ioniq in Ethiopia.
We must say this is an awesome move by Marathon Motor Engineering and Hyundai to jump straight in with an all-electric car. We recently shared progress on VW’s first assembly plant in Ghana that is now producing several ICE models in Accra, including the Tiguan and Tremont SUVs, the Passat, Polo, and the Amarok Pickup. We strongly believe VW should have included some EVs as part of the lineup.
Photo tweeted by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed @AbiyAhmedAli on Jul 27, 2020.
In his tweet [PM Abiy] says,
As we transform Ethiopia’s greening & climate resilient aspirations into concrete actions through the #GreenLegacy initiative, this morning I received the first electric car fully assembled in Ethiopia. No emission cars can help reduce pollution.”
Photo tweeted by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed @AbiyAhmedAli on Jul 27, 2020.
Photo via twitter @AbiyAhmedAli on Jul 27, 2020.
Really exciting times for Ethiopia. Clean and renewable hydropower dominates Ethiopia’s energy generation mix, contributing around 90% of the installed generation capacity. The electricity tariffs are also very favorable, with residential tariffs at around $0.06/kWh. Driving EVs in Africa is a whole lot cheaper than driving ICE, as we have covered previously here. A study by AfricanEV reveals just how good driving the Hyundai Ioniq EV and several others can be in Ethiopia.
It costs just $0.92 to drive the Hyundai Ioniq over a 100 km trip in Ethiopia, where as the same trip in a Toyota Corolla would cost you $5.37.
The Hyundai Ioniq has been well received in Europe and in other markets where it has been launched. A lot of pundits have been impressed with its efficiency. Bjorn Nyland gave the Ioniq a very glowing review. Another critically acclaimed EV is the Hyundai Kona, and to show that the transition to electromobility is happening much faster than most people think, Hyundai has sold over 100,000 Hyundai Konas in just 2 years.
All in the middle of the “supply constraints” drama and long waiting lists in some markets, and Hyundai has since moved to ramp up production of the Kona. We certainly hope the Kona is one of the models that the Marathon Motor Engineering Plant is assembling now, or one that it will be assembling in the very near future. South Africa is one of Africa’s largest market for motor vehicles and it also hosts many vehicle assembly and manufacturing plants.
We previously looked at why South Africa may be left behind if it doesn’t jump in on the EV action soon. We hope South African plants get in on the action fast. We really should commend Hyundai for jumping right in with an EV as one of the launch models assembled in Ethiopia. We hope these Ioniqs will also be exported to other East African countries like Kenya and Rwanda. We will keep following the developments in this market. Exciting times ahead!
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Related:
Ethiopia showcases first locally-assembled electric car (AA)
Such investments will support country’s climate resilience and greening ambitions, says premier. (AA)
Addis Getachew Tadesse
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Ethiopia on Monday showcased its first locally assembled electric car to push forward the country’s “greening and climate resilient aspirations.”
It is the “[…] first electric car fully assembled locally (in Ethiopia) by a Hyundai dealership, Marathon Motors,” office of the prime minister told Anadolu Agency.
“The decision to assemble electric cars in Ethiopia follows the request put forth by the prime minister to the Hyundai president,” it said.
The company’s plant, according to a local media report, has the capacity to assemble 10,000 cars per year.
Fully battery operated and with no emissions, the electric car does not require charging at terminals, and can rather be charged anywhere.
Ethiopia’s premier Abiy Ahmed, one of the the youngest leaders in Africa, got the vehicle delivered to him upon request.
He said that such investments supported the country’s climate resilience and greening ambitions. “No emission cars can help reduce pollution,” he tweeted.
Abiy, 44, came into power in 2018. He won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for making peace with Eritrea, and prioritizing regional peace and cooperation in East Africa and beyond.
He initiated a major greening campaign, and the nation managed to plant more than three billion tree seedlings last rainy season. During the current rains, the country plans to transplant five billion tree seedlings.
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