While I get orders for my BUILD YOUR OWN ELECTRIC CAR instructional DVDs from all around the world, this one was especially interesting.
It was ordered by a Masters degree student at the Science and Technology University in the capitol city of Addis Ababa.
He wishes to build an electric car as part of a collaborative project at the University. The student said that this may be the very first electric car built in Ethiopia EVER.
I thought I’d do a quick web search first and see if I could find anyone else building electric cars in Ethiopia, and sure enough, up popped a number of news stories about a company planning to commerically build EVs in Ethiopia. However, I couldn’t find any news stories dated later than spring of 2010. Looks like all the hoopla was based off one press release making the rounds! (If you know more about this company manufacturing, let me know!)
At this point, it doesn’t look like there is any electric car manufacturing going on. So a DIY project based on BUILD YOUR OWN ELECTRIC CAR may very well be the very first electric car in Ethiopia!
In designing teaching and training materials like this DVD, my long-term hope is that they are “ripples in a pond”, influencing others to take initiative, build, create, and become leaders for positive change.
Looks like that’s what’s going on in Ethiopia!
