The electrification of road transport, as the predominant mode of
transportation in Africa, represents a great opportunity to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and dependence on costly fuel imports. However, it introduces
major challenges for local energy infrastructures, including the deployment of
charging stations and the impact on often fragile electricity grids. Despite
its importance, research on electric mobility planning in Africa remains
limited, while existing planning tools rely on detailed local mobility data
that is often unavailable, especially for privately owned passenger vehicles.
In this study, we introduce a novel framework designed to support private
vehicle electrification in data-scarce regions and apply it to Addis Ababa,
simulating the mobility patterns and charging needs of 100,000 electric
vehicles. Our analysis indicate that these vehicles generate a daily charging
demand of approximately 350 MWh and emphasize the significant influence of the
charging location on the spatial and temporal distribution of this demand.
Notably, charging at public places can help smooth the charging demand
throughout the day, mitigating peak charging loads on the electricity grid. We
also estimate charging station requirements, finding that workplace charging
requires approximately one charging point per three electric vehicles, while
public charging requires only one per thirty. Finally, we demonstrate that
photovoltaic energy can cover a substantial share of the charging needs,
emphasizing the potential for renewable energy integration. This study lays the
groundwork for electric mobility planning in Addis Ababa while offering a
transferable framework for other African cities.