January 23, 2025

Ethiopia issues code for EV charging stations

January 23, 2025

Ethiopia has issued regulations for EV charging stations, aiming to expand the country's charging infrastructure. The country will grant EV charging service providers with 2-year renewable licenses. The electricity supply tariff to EV public charging stations from the national grid shall be the same as the general tariff category.

  • The regulations prescribe the roles of EV charging service providers and electricity suppliers, requirements for the charging stations, technical and safety standards, and locations of the chargers.  

  • A charging station shall be established on both sides of the highway every 50 km. Charging stations for long-range and heavy duty EVs like buses and trucks, chargers will be placed at intervals of 120 km on each side of the highway.

  • Our take: Ethiopia’s guidelines for establishment of EV charging stations will fast-track the country’s adoption of EVs and stimulate investment by key service providers in the country… Read more (2 min)

E-commerce firm Jumia East Africa wants to transition its fleet from fossil fuel vehicles to EVs. The company, which was founded in Nigeria, targets to use EVs for delivery of goods to millions of its customers to cut costs. It plans to transition a third of its fleet in the next six months. Jumia began electrifying its fleet in 2022.

  • Jumia East Africa is a subsidiary of Pan-African online retailer Jumia, which operates in 9 countries in Africa. The firm operates a delivery fleet with over 3,000 vehicles, primarily consisting of vans used for last-mile deliveries.

  • Most of Jumia’s vehicles are fossil-fuel powered. The company plans to cut its logistics costs by up to 40% by switching to EVs. Logistics costs in Africa are three to four times higher than the global average due to high fuel prices and taxation.

  • Our take: Transitioning from fossil fuel vehicles to EVs will enable Jumia to reduce its operational costs and cut its carbon footprint. Gradually declining global costs of EVs will facilitate more firms to make the transition… Read more (2 min)

South African EV charging company Rubicon announced yesterday that it will roll out 15 DC chargers across the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. This follows an announcement two months ago by Charge outlining plans to build at least 120 off-grid EV chargers in the Eastern Cape.

  • With high EV adoption in South Africa, the Eastern Cape presents strong market potential, as it includes major routes like the N10 connecting Gqeberha to Namibia and the N2 linking Cape Town to Ermelo. Additionally, provincial roads such as the R72, R75, and R61 enhance accessibility in the area. 

  • Rubicon’s first 47 kW DC charger has already been installed in Port Alfred, in partnership with the Automotive Industry Development Centre of Eastern Cape.

  • Our take: Major highways are perfect locations for DC chargers due to high traffic volumes and the need for quick charging solutions. Drivers on long journeys prefer minimising downtime while recharging their vehicles… Read more (2 min)

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Trainees assessing an EV drive train during a mobility workshop in Kenya

Events

🗓️ Kenya hosts Empowering Women in E-mobility

🗓️ Algeria hosts Equip Auto Expo (Feb 17)

🗓️ Kenya hosts Africa Tech Summit (Feb 12)

Jobs

👷🏻‍♂️ WeTu seeks a mobility technician (Kenya)

👩🏻‍⚖️ BasiGo seeks a corporate counsel (Kenya)

👷🏻‍♀️ Shift EV seeks a motor control unit engineer (Egypt)

👨‍🔧 Charge seeks an electrical engineer (South Africa)

Various 

📄 African professionals publish a report on reviewing improvements in electric vehicle battery

Seen on LinkedIn 

Hans var Toor, Strategy and Innovation lead at Roam, shares his ideas on the potential market of EV spares across East Africa since the market is not yet scalable in terms of EV manufacturing.

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