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Energy crisis, expensive fuel, and blackouts opened space for electric tricycles adapted with solar panels in Sudan, where drivers and vendors began to reduce operational costs and extend vehicle autonomy. In some cases, workers reported a significant increase in income after abandoning gasoline-powered models.
Queues at gas stations, frequent blackouts, and rising gasoline prices began to pressure urban workers in Sudan, especially drivers and vendors who rely daily on three-wheeled vehicles to transport passengers and small loads.
In this scenario of economic crisis and unstable infrastructure, engineer Mohamed Samir gained prominence in Khartoum by adapting electric tricycles and rickshaws at the al-Shehab factory, offering a cheaper alternative for those who could no longer afford the costs of conventional engines.
Electric tricycles gained space in Khartoum
Even before the electric adaptation, three-wheeled vehicles already played an important role in the mobility of the Sudanese capital, circulating between popular markets, congested roads, and neighborhoods where small workers depend on fast transport to ensure income throughout the day.
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Instead of a fuel-powered engine, Samir began to use electric batteries and, in some models, installed solar panels on the vehicle roofs, reducing reliance on the electricity grid, which also suffers constant interruptions in the country.
According to AFP, Samir stated that electricity supply problems could prevent drivers from recharging vehicles, which is why he installed a solar system on the tuk-tuks and rickshaws to extend their autonomy during the journey.
According to the engineer, the adaptation increased the vehicles’ autonomy by about 50%, allowing the tricycles to travel greater distances even during periods marked by frequent power cuts.
With the support of solar capture installed on the roof, some models began to achieve approximately 100 kilometers of autonomy, while certain electric rickshaws reached a range of between 100 and 120 kilometers per charge.
More than a visual detail, the vehicle roof began to act as a complementary energy source, helping drivers who work long hours and cannot interrupt their routine due to lack of recharge during their shift.
Solar panels reduced driver costs
Beyond the energy issue, the adaptation began to alleviate a problem that had been reducing the income of thousands of urban workers: the operational cost of maintaining gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles in daily circulation.
With fuel becoming increasingly expensive, many drivers reported a significant loss of income due to expenses with refueling, mechanical maintenance, oil changes, and long hours wasted in queues at gas stations in the Sudanese capital.
Fruit vendor Bakry Mohamed, quoted by AFP, swapped his old fuel-powered tuk-tuk for an electric tricycle after concluding that the previous vehicle cost more than it earned daily.
He stated that he no longer faced fuel queues and now relies on a charge capable of keeping the vehicle in operation for a longer period.
According to the report, his daily income doubled after the change. The reduction in expenses didn’t just come from the end of refueling.
Electric batteries require less maintenance than combustion engines, which reduces stops, repairs, and frequent expenses for workers who make a living from freight, deliveries, and street sales.
Mohamed Samir’s factory expanded production
As demand increased among self-employed workers, the initiative ceased to function merely as a technical experiment and began to scale up within the local production installed in Khartoum.
Data released by AFP showed that Samir’s factory had already sold over 100 cargo tricycles and approximately a dozen electric rickshaws aimed at passenger transport.
The demand showed that adoption was not due to technological curiosity, but to economic necessity.
For self-employed drivers, small traders, and porters, the change meant preserving income in an environment of increasingly unpredictable costs.
The energy context made solar power even more relevant. Even when the electric vehicle proved cheaper than the fuel-powered model, blackouts and grid instability threatened to limit the advantage of conventional recharging.
With panels installed on the vehicle’s structure, some owners began to capture energy while driving.
The feature does not necessarily replace all recharging, but helps keep the batteries active longer during working hours.
Crisis in Sudan spurred alternative solutions
Although the economic impact is the main factor behind the project’s adoption, the replacement of conventional engines also drew attention due to the environmental effects associated with urban transport.
Reports from the United Nations Environment Programme already warned that fossil fuel-powered three-wheeled vehicles contribute to noise pollution, worsening air quality, and increased emissions in urban centers.
Still, the initiative’s main strength lies in its direct economic effect.
In cities where light transport supports thousands of families, any reduction in cost per kilometer can alter the financial outcome of an entire journey.
The crisis in Sudan exacerbated this calculation. Since 2023, the country has faced civil war, mass displacement, infrastructure damage, and disruptions to essential services, making energy, transport, and supply even more sensitive issues.
Electric tricycles emerged before the most recent phase of the conflict but continue to illustrate how local solutions can respond to persistent bottlenecks in countries pressured by expensive fuel, an unstable electricity grid, and vulnerable informal income.
In the daily lives of drivers, the change is less a technological showcase and more a way to keep work going.
The vehicle continues to transport fruits, passengers, and small loads, but with a different calculation of cost, autonomy, and maintenance.
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