It begins: Ethiopia set to become first country to ban internal combustion cars
electrek.co
Ethiopia's Transport and Logistics Ministries have announced that automobiles cannot enter the country unless they are electric. (!)
  • MrMakabar@slrpnk.net
    0·
    9 months ago

    That is certainly a good way to keep Fano from acquiring tacticals.

    Great news nevertheless.

    • Cait@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      9 months ago

      There is little wrong with combustion cars, at least compared to electric cars Compared to actual solutions, both suck ass

      • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        That is absurd on its face.

        ICE cars haven’t significantly improved in close to a century, electric cars are becoming more affordable, efficient, and sustainable every year.

        ICE cars are much more trouble to maintain and cost more to maintain.

        ICE cars release more pollutants, while electric cars are annually decreasing and can continue to decrease their pollutants.

        There’s a huge difference between electric and ICE, don’t let since imagined ideal stop you from supporting a practical leap in the right direction.

        • Trainguyrom@reddthat.comEnglish
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          9 months ago

          ICE cars haven’t significantly improved in close to a century

          Let’s see, power steering and seatbelts became standard around half a century ago, the OBD2 port became standard in the 80s, radios got significantly better, starting as a simple AM Radio to then also putting in an 8 track player, and in the 90s and 2000syou could get multiple disc changer radios (I had a 2005 Ford Escape I got for next to nothing a few years agp which had a 5 cd changer stock) then in the last 20 years fuel efficiency has improved dramatically. And this is all just what I can think of as someone who sometimes walks through car shows to look at the pretty cars but has no clue what he’s looking at.

          I get what you’re saying about EVs being a brilliant step forward from ICE vehicles. Technically I think an all-electric drivetrain should be the way forwards on all vehicles, including hybrids (seriously if it’s good enough for basically every diesel locomotive out there, it’s good enough for a car) but you have to be honest in your arguments

          • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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            9 months ago

            I agree that car accessories like radios, seat belts, and CD players have improved significantly, but that does not translate to ICEs themselves being significantly improved.

            Combustion engines:

            1923 - 14 mpg

            1966 - 13.5 mpg

            1991 - 16 mpg

            2019 - 25mpg

            Electric cars:

            2009 - 85 mpge

            2019 - 113

            Drivetrains, fuel efficiency, sustainable fuel (solar panels built into the body of the car), battery tech improvement, and so on.

            Electric cars have all of the accessory improvements you’re talking about related to ICEs, but are also rapidly minimizing all the relevant material, environmental, and even maintenance costs of manufacturing and operating vehicles to become more sustainable at a much more rapid pace than ICEs have.

            • 31337@sh.itjust.works
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              9 months ago

              Those numbers will go down once everyone is driving 4wd EV Suburbans with half-inch steel plate armor (you know, just so they feel their kids are safe) :)

              • Trainguyrom@reddthat.comEnglish
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                9 months ago

                I’m hoping the current lack of sedan/small car options and growing bad press surrounding large vehicles will lead to a resurgence of small cars in 7-15 years, but I doubt it will in reality

  • Silverseren@kbin.social
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    9 months ago

    The easiest way to ensure that would be to get rid of all gasoline-based gas stations and replace them with electric ones. So even if someone tries to sneak in a gas car, they won’t be able to refill it.

    • LanternEverywhere@kbin.social
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      9 months ago

      That wouldn’t work, there are zillions of existing ICE cars there already in use. They aren’t banning ICE cars that are already there, just banning importation of new ones

  • Ben Matthews@sopuli.xyz
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    9 months ago

    Many old cars that are no longer allowed in european cities end up exported to Africa. This leap-frogging move (esp if others copy) changes the outlook - depreciation of ic-cars accelerates, europeans might have to recycle more. Otoh, there are not yet so many 2nd-hand e-cars, so poorer people in rural areas of Ethiopia might be stuck - unless there is plenty of public transport even outside of cities? Wonder whether it applies to (mini-)buses?

    • MrMakabar@slrpnk.net
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      9 months ago

      Also only 51% of Ethipians have access to electricity. That is access for at least four hours a day and enough to charge a phone, have some light and other light tasks. Charging an EV is another league entirly.

      So this might backfire badly. At the same time it makes oil infrastructure obsolete and China is selling extremely cheap EVs these days. The BYD Seagull at $11,000 is rather competitive for a new car and something like a Guang Hong Mini for $4500 is also available. Obviously that is not used cars territory, but we are going to see second hand cars of these cars as well and they will be even cheaper.

    • Blackmist@feddit.ukEnglish
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      9 months ago

      Car ownership in Ethiopia is something like 1% of the population. Most of them are taxis.

      The vast majority use buses.