HARARE, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Internal combustion engines still reign supreme in Zimbabwe, but electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining traction with cost-effective and eco-friendly edges as the world gravitates toward green mobility.

Tafadzwa Nyabuta, marketing officer for ZIMOCO, the official distributor of Great Wall Motor (GWM) in Zimbabwe, told Xinhua that EVs are growing popular in this southern African country.

"We do have the ORA 03 fully-electric vehicle available in the local market. This vehicle has attracted significant interest because electric vehicles are still something very new here. So we thought let's go ahead of the curve and bring a vehicle we can showcase to people, get them to understand the technology, the charging mechanisms, and how the vehicle works," Nyabuta revealed in a recent interview.

GWM, a Chinese automaker, is making inroads in the country's fledging EV market with the ORA 03 model, a five-seater hatchback, which has turned heads at a recent exhibition held in Zimbabwe's capital of Harare.

Many people who tried an EV for the first time were fascinated by its integration of modern technology and sleek design.

According to Nyabuta, EVs offer a lot of advantages from cost and environmental perspectives. A fully charged model that was on display has a range of 320 kilometers at a cost of just over 6 U.S. dollars.

"With any traditional vehicle, how far will 6 U.S. dollars of fuel get you? Nowhere near 320 kilometers. So it is obvious that the cost of energy, or cost of electric refueling, is much cheaper, and the range is longer," he said, adding that the maintenance expense for EVs is lower compared to internal combustion engines.

"Additionally, the green impact -- they are very green, very environmentally friendly," Nyabuta said.

Felix Nazombe, a Harare resident, found himself enchanted with the chic design of the ORA 03 automobiles. "The vehicle looks very beautiful and quite spacious. We would like to drive something like that here."

Nyabuta said that despite a booming interest, more needs to be done to make the transition to electric vehicles attractive.

"There are quite a few policies that are still pending from the government level that will impact ultimately the price of the vehicle and some mechanisms around charging stations and so forth in the country," he said.

Impressed by the EVs as well, Harare resident Blessing Duwa underlined the need for related infrastructure.

"We trust and hope that as we move on, there will be more cars and there will be charging ports all over the country that will allow us to be able to freely use these cars," she said.

Zimbabwe is renowned as a producer of lithium, an indispensable component of lithium-ion batteries. The African country is currently promoting the adoption of new energy vehicles and targeting a 33 percent market penetration of EVs by 2030.

Mangaliso Ndlovu, Zimbabwe's minister of industry and commerce, said the local automotive sector has to catch up with modern developments in the evolving automotive industry.

"They know that they can only adapt or die. So there is only one option, and we are pushing toward that direction," Ndlovu told Xinhua. Enditem

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