Ethio Telecom Launches The Second Ultra-Fast EV Charging Hub In Addis Ababa
Last Updated on: 11th April 2025, 12:28 pm
A couple of months ago, we reported that Ethio Telecom launched its newly built ultra-fast EV charging station on both sides of the Bole to Megenagna road in Addis Ababa. Ethio Telecom is a telecoms provider in Ethiopia with over 81 million subscribers, including over 78 million mobile voice subscribers and over 44 million data and internet users. Ethio Telecom has a vision to be the leading digital solutions provider, with its slogan being “Bringing New Possibilities.” The company says introducing the charging network “aligns” with this vision.
- That first charging hub has Eight Ultra-Fast Chargers (up to 600 kW each) — the chargers are capable of fully charging compatible vehicles within 15 minutes, enabling rapid recharges for drivers on the go.
- Twelve Super-Fast Chargers (up to 500 kW each) — delivering high-speed charging with optimal accessibility, and ensuring drivers get back on the road quickly.
- Smart Pole Chargers — integrated into smart city infrastructure, these Level II chargers provide emergency charging options for drivers in need and are located along various routes.
This makes it one of the coolest charging hubs you can find anywhere in the world. This hub has already done some awesome numbers. Since launch, the Bole–Megenagna hub has made a significant environmental impact, helping to prevent an estimated 521,074.23 kg of CO₂ emissions since February 11, 2025 — equivalent to planting approximately 2,622 trees. Ethio Telecom says this achievement was made possible by providing services to 14,280 electric vehicles over the period with a total of 376,574.72kWh of electricity.
I am assuming this is probably 14,280 charging sessions and not unique cars. Why? There are probably a lot of repeat customers using that hub, especially people the frequent that corridor. If we assume that it is indeed 14,280 charge sessions, it will mean that the average charge session consumed just over 26.37kWh. That is pretty interesting given the wide variety of vehicles available in Ethiopia that have a wide range of battery pack sizes. Since this is a fast charging site, we can assume a large number of users were probably filling up from 20% to 80% or something every now and then. In any case, it’s great to get some real data from people on the ground, and thanks to Ethio Telecom for sharing this data. It’s not always easy to get data in this part of the world.
Well, Ethio Telecom is not slowing down! Ethio Telecom has now launched its second ultra-fast charging hub. Ethio Telecom says in a bold step toward supporting Ethiopia’s growing electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem, the company has unveiled its newly built second ultra-fast EV charging station on Megenagna to Bole road in Addis Ababa. Ethio Telecom says the new charging station launched today has the unique capacity to charge European version electric vehicles and is equipped with compatible EU Ultra-Fast EV chargers. That means in addition to the standard GB/T (since most vehicles in Ethiopia come from China), the new hub also has CCS2. This electric charging station is capable of charging up to 16 electric vehicles simultaneously, enabling efficient service for drivers. This has made it possible to build a total capacity to serve 32 electric vehicles at once.
Ethio Telecom says this second site is built in a spacious and convenient location, allowing drivers to enter, receive service, and exit without concerns about space constraints. This enables them to easily access service without needing to travel to the electric charging station previously built on the road from Bole to Megenagna. Furthermore, these electric charging stations utilize technology that makes them inherently scalable, facilitating easy, rapid, and cost-effective expansions or upgrades as required.
The newly launched station includes:
- Four Ultra-Fast Chargers (up to 600 kW) – the chargers are capable of fully charging compatible vehicles within 15 minutes depending on the vehicle’s capacity, enabling rapid recharges for drivers on the go. Particularly, for city buses engaged in providing public transport service, rapid charging (refueling) allows them to save time and continue providing their service.
- Twelve Super-Fast Chargers (up to 500 kW) – Delivering high-speed charging with optimal accessibility, ensuring drivers get back on the road quickly.
Some other highlights include:
Seamless Digital Experience via telebirr
- The charging station operates 24/7and is fully powered by telebirr SuperApp, Ethio telecom’s digital payment platform.
• Customers can pay for charging services quickly, easily, and conveniently with telebirr.
• Drivers can charge their vehicles independently using telebirr, ensuring a seamless, cashless transaction experience.
• Smart Online Monitoring enables real-time tracking and efficient management via the telebirr SuperApp, ensuring seamless connectivity through fibre, 4G, or 5G networks.
• NFC Enable: Near Field Communication (NFC) can be used to enable features like “tap to charge” or “smart authentication” for accessing charging stations, initiating charging, and completing transactions, offering a faster and more efficient user experience.
As Zach wrote a while back, historically, less economically rich countries have been the “dumping ground” of older, “out of date” vehicles from Europe, the US, and Japan. It’s been a major concern of those of us with a bit of a global perspective as these regions electrify. Last year, Ethiopia became the first country in the world to ban the importation of internal combustion engine vehicles. This means there wont be any dumping of old ICE vehicles in Ethiopia. While most countries have pledged to ban the registration of ICE vehicles in 2030 and beyond, Ethiopia did it in 2024. Ethiopia has even beaten countries like Norway that had announced bans years ago, with these bans kicking in in 2025. One can understand Ethiopia’s motivation for all of this, though. Ethiopia’s motivation? A high fossil fuel import bill of over US$5 billion a year, taking a huge chunk of the country’s scarce foreign currency resources. Energy security and self-sufficiency was another major driver. Ethiopia recently commissioned the first units from the 5,150 MW Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The GERD will add another ~15,500 GWh of clean electricity to the country’s energy mix. This means Ethiopia now has some exceptionally good locally generated renewable energy that can be used to substitute a significant portion of that huge import bill.
Images courtesy of Ethio Telecom
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