Since 2024, Ethiopia, a third world country in Africa, has banned import of gas and diesel burning cars in favor of electric cars. Lots of electric cars are available from China and a few other places. The first country to take such a step. Good news.
I feel that the US auto industry is more of an impediment to electrification than the oil industry. Fear of inexpensive car imports, from China, creating huge auto industry layoffs drives US policy against importing less expensive electric cars from abroad. Ethiopia doesn't have much domestic auto industry to worry about.
I would guess that the US oil industry is less threatened, these days, by cheap imported oil as US oil is similar, in domestic price, to imported oil.
Still, the oil industry may be threatened as well by electrification, so I wouldn't necessarily let them off the hook either.
There are a lot of relatively high paying jobs at stake in any transition. Transition can also bring prosperity in new ways, however. We just have to be willing to except change.
Ethiopia is willing to take the gamble for electrification in spite of reliability problems with the power grid there.
Still, the power supply is improving in Ethiopia, due to the new Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. From what I read, Ethiopia gets 97% of it's electricity from hydropower, though there are problems with distribution, having enough charging stations and so forth. Home solar panels can help also.
The electric cars work better in urban areas where there are more charging stations.
I would guess electric bikes are used also. The US does have lots of electric bikes in use; possibly seen as less of a threat to US auto industry than inexpensive Chinese electric cars.
Even old fashioned gasoline can be difficult to get in Ethiopia with long lines at petrol stations. The country imports oil.
Article in Sept. 12 2025 The Guardian. Powering up: how Ethiopia is becoming an unlikely leader in the electric vehicle revolution.
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