July 14–Beyond passenger cars, Ethiopia, a country abundant in hydropower, is pushing green transport across the board. Delivery companies are turning to electric bikes for fast and affordable services, while electric heavy-duty trucks have been deployed at construction sites for the first time.
Lodric Trading PLC, one of the fast-growing e-bike businesses in Ethiopia, has been assembling and distributing China-made Yadea-brand e-bikes over the past year. After opening its first Yadea shop in Addis Ababa in March 2025, the company added five more outlets in major cities, including Mekelle and Hawassa, offering models with a range of 60 to 150 km. “We are glad to see a 30 percent increase in the sales of our e-bikes during the second half-year compared to the first half-year of operation,” said Biruk Abiot, chief executive officer of Yadea Ethiopia, adding that public awareness of e-bikes and their advantages over motorbikes continues to grow. About 50 km southeast of the Yadea shop, electric heavy-duty dump trucks imported from China are operating around the clock at the construction site of the Bishoftu International Airport, which is set to become Africa’s largest upon completion. Each truck can travel 220 km on a full charge, supported by 19 charging poles installed at the site, said Yan Shaofa, chief engineer of the airport project from China Communications Construction Company, the first to deploy electric heavy-duty trucks in Ethiopia. “By comparison, the electric dump truck’s work efficiency is 1.45 times that of the diesel dump truck, while the operational cost is only one eighth of that of the diesel dump truck,” Yan said.
XINHUA
