Green Tech Ethiopia, a renewable energy company, has launched 5 different models of electric and solar powered cars at an event held today. The company imported the cars from Chinese car manufacturer Dongfeng Motor Corporation and has plans to establish a car assembly factory in the near future. In addition to these car models the company has also presented 23-seater midi-buses, pickup trucks and buses which operate on electricity.
The company’s Green transport venture has also presented a 40/60 electric car sale package to customers. This provision will help middle and low income societies of Ethiopia secure automobiles and create alternative income streams for themselves and their families. Upon purchase, 60 percent of the payment will be covered by customers and Green Transport covers the remaining 40 percent. Customers can pay 30% of their 60% ownership to purchase their cars and the remaining 70% payment will be down paid as per the directives of the agreement between the two parties.
The electric cars are very advantageous as compared to their gas powered compatriots since the price of 1kilo watt energy versus that of 1 liter of gas is 88 folds cheaper. Through the usage of electric cars, the company aims to reduce the fuel expenditure of Ethiopia by one third. The solar charged electric cars can travel 60-120 kilometers. The 4 seater automobiles have a 26kWh capacity and with full charge can be driven to a distance of 200km with only 9.10 birr while that of the midibus can be driven to a distance of 360km once it 80kWh battery is fully charged with only 28 birr. The prices are even lower than that of 1liter of petroleum gas.
These advantages are also accompanied by the minimum maintenance cost of the electric cars. There are also two ways of charging the cars: through pile chargers and fast charging mechanisms. The pile chargers are household single phase charging methods available in every urban household and can charge the cars in a space of 30 minutes to 3 hours. Meanwhile, the fast charger fully powers a given electric car with in a time interval of 3 – 30 minutes.
Green Tech plans to sell 5000 cars in its first phase of operation in collaboration with world’s top 4 auto maker companies and assemble additional 7000 vehicles in its assembly factory. On the other hand, Green Transport will aim to deploy 10,000 electric cars into the Ethiopian transport industry. To this end, it is working with Africa Village micro finance and other banks.
Green Tech Ethiopia is a renewable energy company that presents energy efficient and environment friendly solar and electric powered cars and other technologies with affordable price ranges to the Ethiopian and East African market. The company was established in response to the ever increasing demand for energy efficient technologies due to the rise of conventional petroleum fuels. The company’s objectives and mission go in line with Ethiopia’s Green Economy plan and is believed to be a positive venture towards realizing energy sufficiency.
