When Ethiopia announced it would ban the import of fuel-powered vehicles, the headlines focused on symbolism. Here was a low-income country, still grappling with development challenges, taking a step more radical than many wealthy economies had dared to attempt. Ethiopia became the first country in the world to enact such a policy, and overnight, it was thrust into the global conversation on electric mobility.
But policy declarations are the easy part. The harder question is execution: how e-mobility actually works in a country where infrastructure is constrained, purchasing power is limited, and electricity access itself remains uneven. Nationally, electricity access stands at roughly 55%, and is significantly lower in rural areas.
Put simply, people cannot use e-mobility if they do not have reliable access to power. Ethiopia’s EV experiment, therefore, forces a more honest conversation: not just about vehicles, but about energy access, affordability, livelihoods, and infrastructure.
Consumer motivations
E-mobility in Africa will not follow the same path as in Europe, the United States, or China. In more developed markets, sustainability concerns and climate consciousness more significantly motivate consumer behaviour.
In Ethiopia, as in much of Africa, most people are under economic pressure. For riders, particularly those using their vehicle to run their businesses, the primary question is not whether a vehicle is green, but whether it is the cheapest and most reliable option available.
That reality makes affordability central to any successful e-mobility strategy. Encouragingly, Ethiopia now has an abundance of low-cost, renewable energy, particularly following the launch of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The challenge is no longer generation alone, but distribution: ensuring households, businesses, and transport operators can actually access this power and put it to productive use — including through electric vehicles.
This is why two-wheel EVs are likely to lead Africa’s mobility transition. Across Ethiopian cities, motorcycles and scooters underpin sectors including delivery services, ride-hailing, and informal logistics networks.
They are cheaper to acquire, better suited to dense urban environments, and easier to electrify than private cars. Electrifying this segment delivers immediate gains: lower operating costs for riders, cleaner air in crowded neighbourhoods, and a faster route to scale.
Battery swapping
Yet even two-wheel EVs face a major obstacle: charging. Traditional charging models assume access to reliable private charging points or long idle times, neither of which reflect urban Ethiopian realities. A rider who earns a daily wage cannot afford to sit idle for hours waiting for a battery to recharge.
Battery swapping offers a practical alternative. Instead of charging, riders exchange depleted batteries for fully charged ones in minutes. The model mirrors refuelling habits riders already understand while eliminating downtime and range anxiety.
Crucially, it allows charging infrastructure to be built incrementally, rather than requiring massive upfront investment.
At Dodai, we have built our approach around this logic. We assemble electric motorcycles locally and operate battery swap stations across Addis Ababa. Our motto is simple: one bike equals one job. E-mobility cannot be an end in itself.
It must enable work, support the gig economy, and help people earn better livelihoods.
Dodai is making impacts across Ethiopia
We see this impact directly. One delivery driver who switched from a fuel-powered motorcycle to a Dodai e-bike reported saving around 80-90% on fuel and maintenance costs. Those savings translated into higher take-home earnings and reduced financial stress.
The reliability of the electric bike, with fewer breakdowns and lower maintenance needs, also allowed him to work longer hours without disruption. For him, switching to an electric motorcycle was about securing greater stability, a higher income, and a better standard of living.
Challenges remain. Grid reliability, access to financing, and regulatory clarity will all shape how fast electric mobility can scale. But Ethiopia’s experience shows that these constraints are not reasons to delay action.
There are reasons to design systems that reflect real conditions on the ground rather than idealised ones.
What happens in Ethiopia matters beyond its borders. Africa’s cities are growing faster than almost anywhere else in the world. The transport choices made today will lock in emissions and economic patterns for decades.
If electric mobility can work in Addis Ababa, despite challenges involving infrastructure and uneven electricity access, it can work in many other emerging markets in Africa and around the world.
Written by Yuma Sasaki, Founder and CEO, Dodai
