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Ethiopia Installs National EV Charging Network as Electric Vehicle Fleet Tops 140,000 Units

Ethiopia's state-owned EEU is rolling out 2,300 EV charging points nationwide, backed by a combustion-engine import ban and plans to bring in 439,000 electric vehicles under Vision 2030.

April 13, 2026

Ethiopia Installs National EV Charging Network as Electric Vehicle Fleet Tops 140,000 Units

Ethiopia‘s state-owned Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) is building a national network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, rolling out infrastructure in two phases to support a fleet that has grown from zero to more than 140,000 EVs in under four years.

EEU communications director Anwar Abrar said the first phase covers 40 stations, the majority in the capital, Addis Ababa. Three are already operational. Another 32 are set to go live in the city, with eight more planned for surrounding areas within months.

2,300 Charging Points Planned Nationwide

The Ministry of Transport has set a target of 2,300 charging points across the country, including roughly 1,176 in Addis Ababa alone — numbers that reflect the scale of Ethiopia’s EV push under its Vision 2030 strategic plan.

The government estimates Ethiopia spends more than $1.4 billion a year on imported vehicle fuel. To cut that figure, it banned imports of personal combustion-engine vehicles in 2024 and launched a program to import more than 439,000 electric vehicles, backed by tax incentives.

Electricity Access Still a Constraint

Despite substantial renewable energy capacity — including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, inaugurated last September, alongside wind, solar and geothermal resources — electricity still reaches only about half the population.

The EEU initiative is partly intended to address that gap, developing an energy infrastructure capable of sustaining electric transport while drawing investment from both public and private sectors.

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