BY EPHREM ANDARGACHEW
Cars emit a lot of carbon that is ejected into our natural atmosphere, leaving the globe vulnerable to things like pollution and greenhouse gases. With the growing concern of climate change, global warming, and conservation of energy, the pace of evolution of electric vehicle technologies has accelerated since the 2010s to tackle these challenges.
Electric vehicles
offer emission-free urban transportation regarding the environment. From the
energy side, electric vehicles can provide a secure, comprehensive, and
balanced energy option that is efficient and environmentally friendly since it
utilizes renewable energies.
The world is progressively looking at alternatives to the traditional petroleum-based transport technologies, as concerns of oil exhaustion and reliability of supply remain as severe as ever. Faced with the consequences of climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions, electric vehicles are seen as promising and favourable technology. Electric vehicles can lead to decarbonization by reducing transportation-related emissions.
Hence, around the world, governments, automakers, policymakers, and environmental activists are promoting electric vehicles as a vital technology to curb oil use and fight climate change. Electric cars are really greener and eco-friendly and they seem to be a great solution to fight climate change and they are even said to have zero emissions. They are worth and harmless to the planet.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted that cars make up 72 per cent of the Co2 emissions followed by planes with 10 per cent. Hence, electric cars have been growing and seem to be a good solution to fight climate change across the globe. This means that there is no fuel being burned and therefore no air pollution through CO2 happening while driving.
Despite the massive environmental benefits and with all progressions of electric vehicles, there have been drawbacks. The absence of an electric vehicle charging station is one of the challenges that has been mentioned both in developed and developing countries.
Electric vehicle charging stations are still in the development stages. Not a lot of places you go to on a daily basis will have electric vehicle charging stations for every vehicle, meaning that if somebody is on a long trip or decide to visit family in a rural or suburban area and run out of charge, it may be harder to find a charging station. He/she may be stuck where she/he is.
However, until charging stations are more widespread, it is advisable to have charging station maps where he/she lives and where he/she frequently goes so that he/she will be able to charge his/her electric vehicle when he/she need to.
Electric cars are limited by range and speed and need careful adjustment for long journeys, longer recharge times are another key problem of an electric vehicle. While it takes a couple of minutes to fuel your gasoline-powered car, an electric car takes about 4-6 hours and sometimes even a day to get fully charged. Therefore, it needs dedicated power stations as the time is taken to recharge them is quite long. This ignites anxiety since the lack of a robust and widespread charging infrastructure adds to the misery of an electric vehicles owner.
However, there are also electric vehicles are assembled in Ethiopia but the absence of electric vehicle charging stations could be the most challenging aspect of the sector. Hence, Marathon Motors, the Hyundai importer and assembler in Ethiopia, inaugurated an electric vehicle charging station in Addis Ababa. The charging station is the first of its kind in Ethiopia.
In fact, this initiative will expect to draw others to invest in the area since the sector is not only lucrative but also it is environmentally friendly. According to the Governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia Dr Yinager Dessie, Ethiopia spends around 2 to 2.5 Billion US dollars annually on fuel/oil importation. The cost of fuel not only consumes national resources but also causes significant climate pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to decrease the number of petrol vehicles in Ethiopia while developing complete infrastructure for electric vehicles.
Having electric vehicle charging stations in the country will alleviate fuel-related problems. If this work continues, electric cars in Ethiopia, in the next 15 to 20 years, will not only save our fuel costs but also reduce climate pollution, he said.
Among electric vehicle charging mechanisms, a home charging method is one of the easiest ways to charge the car at home/residence. It enables the user to charge their vehicle in the vicinity of their own home. This simply requires charging a vehicle by connecting it to a source of electricity via cable, and a certified electrician can make the required connections. Nevertheless, it increases the household’s energy demand, it must be ensured that electric cable, sockets, and the main household supply can carry additional current drawn by electric vehicles charging, and the charging time may become slow.
However, it is true for a developed country may have well-developed infrastructures for electric vehicle charging stations but it is difficult to have charged the car at home. Hence the investment of Marathon Motors is the right decision to be encouraged.
According to Marathon Motor Engineering CEO and Managing Director, Melkamu Assefa, unlike other charging mechanisms, the electric vehicle charging station can charge vehicles fully within 15 minutes, enough for a 300-km drive. It also alleviates the most common challenge connected with owning an electric vehicle range anxiety.
Expansion of electric vehicle charging stations and similar projects will reduce the country’s fuel consumption and enable the country to use its water resources properly. It is important, therefore, to expand the power stations across the nation, he added.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics Minister Dagmawit Moges said that an electric transportation system that operates with renewable energy is one of the key programs included in the 10-year master plan of the transportation sector. Hence, the electricity transportation system will be realized in the country using the untapped potential of energy resources in the country.
Various activities and tasks are underway to bring electric cars into operation nationwide. Recognizing the importance of the sector, she said, the types of support have been identified and preparations are underway to finalize them.
According to the Minister of Water and Energy Habtamu Itefa, it is known that Ethiopia has the potential to generate electricity from its water resources. Thus, launching an electric vehicle charging station in Ethiopia will enable the country to make the best use of its water resources. Marathon Motors avail itself and that more people would join the sector in the future.
Marathon Motors business mogul Haile Gebrselassie noted that “even if we don’t have oil, nature endowed us with abundant water resources. With this, we use electricity to move our vehicles. After 10 and 15 years, we will see hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles on our roads.” He said Ethiopia has embarked on a journey of technological advancement.
It is true that our planet needs environmentally friendly technologies. Taking the importance of electric vehicles technologies into consideration to our planet, it is key to ensure to have fast-charging stations across the nation. Besides, it is necessary to construct vehicles stations in business concentric city areas, parking places, major highways, and towns to support the high volume of electric vehicles in it. Because expanding electric vehicle charging stations are key to harnessing the environmental benefits.
The Ethiopian Herald January 5/2022
