Algerian Electric car wants investors

Oussama Touaba the creator of the first electric car 100% made in Algeria needs financing. The young engineer wants to move from the prototype stage to the production phase of a carbon-neutral urban mobility solution.

When the car gets investors it will go worldwide. Oussama Touaba, the inventor of the first electric car 100% made in Algeria, wants to make the prototype electric car to the National and International market.  For this purpose, the researcher from the Centre for the Development of Renewable Energies (CDER) in Algiers hopes to find investors. Their financing could make it possible to launch the large-scale production of small electric cars for urban traffic, with an estimated unit production cost of 700,000 Algerian dinars (just under 4,800 euros).

Oussama Touaba’s prototype electric car is protected by a patent obtained from the National Institute of Industrial Property (Inapi). The small car is 2.5 metres long and can only accommodate two people (the driver and a passenger) on board. The vehicle also has the particularity of being extremely light, since its structure is made entirely of aluminum, giving it a featherweight of only 200 kilograms. Under the bonnet, it has two 1.7 horsepower engines with a maximum speed of 40 km/h. The eco-friendly vehicle does not emit carbon dioxide.

Oussama Touaba’s invention comes the day after the government announced a strategy to promote the import of electric cars. Indeed, during the Council of Ministers on March 22, 2020 at the Palace of Nations in Algiers, the Algerian president advocated the import of electric cars in his country, because of their ecological advantages. A need that Oussama Touaba intends to meet, especially since his electric car is designed for urban areas. Eventually, the young inventor plans to improve the power system of his invention so that it can produce its own electricity from the sun.

Solar project in Algeria

The Algerian government intends to launch a mega solar project called "Tafouk1" in the near future. It will allow the construction of several photovoltaic solar power plants with a combined capacity of 4,000 MW. The project could cost up to 3.6 billion dollars to the State, i.e. around 390 billion Algerian dinars.

Algeria wants to produce 22 GW of green energy by 2030, with 13.6 GW reserved for photovoltaic solar energy. But the country is still a long way off. Algeria’s current installed solar power capacity is 343 MW, and gas is used to generate 98% of the total electricity production of this North African country. According to data from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), this industry (oil and gas) has become the backbone of the economy, accounting for 20 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 85 per cent of total exports. At the beginning of May 2020, the country decided to reduce its budget by 50% for the current year, due to the drastic decline in oil revenues.