Tanzania unleashes EV market potential with clear new standards

This move comes as the government continues to promote the clean energy and green economy agenda, as part of implementing the National Development Vision 2050 that heavily emphasises the use of modern technologies.

For several years, the use of electric vehicles in the country faced infrastructure challenges, a complete lack of specific guidelines, and the absence of common technical standards for operators.

Now, through these guidelines, Ewura has set conditions aimed at ensuring charging stations are built to acceptable standards while user safety and electrical infrastructure are prioritised.

Economists' professional perspective

Economic analyst Oscar Mkude says this move had been awaited for a very long time due to the rising number of electric vehicles and motorcycles alongside the clear need for a formal management system.

He notes that for a long time, registration and identification systems for motor vehicles were tailored for fuel-powered cars, a factor that created challenges for new electric technologies.

According to him, some importers of electric motorcycles faced registration difficulties due to the lack of a specific procedure to recognise them in the existing systems.

“For a long time, our systems were used to recognising fuel vehicles. Even electric motorcycles faced identification challenges because there was no specific system to manage them,” he says.

Mr Mkude says these guidelines will also help control the haphazard use of standard domestic infrastructure for charging high-power-consuming electric vehicles.

He says power requirements for a car differ from those of ordinary household appliances, so the presence of professional standards will help reduce the risk of faults and accidents.

For his own part, social affairs analyst Magabilo Masambu says these new guidelines have laid a very important foundation for developing the electric transport sector based upon international standards.

He states that investing in new technology requires legal and operational certainty, which has now begun appearing through these Ewura guidelines.

According to him, investors need to know their responsibilities, the procedures to follow, and safety conditions before investing huge sums of money into electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

“This step will boost investor confidence, reduce technical challenges, and help accelerate development of a green economy relying on clean energy use,” he says.

Mr Masambu says many countries in the world have successfully promoted electric vehicle usage by first establishing robust regulatory systems before a huge surge of users.

He explains that Tanzania can learn from those nations by creating a friendly environment that will enable this sector to grow rapidly and safely.

According to the new guidelines, investors who want to establish public charging stations will be forced to apply for a power connection via the respective electricity distribution companies.

Where electricity demand appears to be high, operators may be required to install special transformers and upgrade power distribution infrastructure in respective areas.

They must also install protection systems complying with national electricity distribution regulations to ensure services are provided with acceptable safety and efficiency.

Investors will be responsible for acquiring suitable sites for these stations, along with building permits, before starting to offer services to citizens.

Ewura has placed great emphasis on safety issues due to risks that can arise during the charging of high-energy-consuming vehicles.

Station operators will be required to possess fire extinguishing equipment that meets required standards and conduct regular inspections of all the electrical cables and charging machines.

Guideline operational directives

The guidelines also require that vehicles with electrical system faults should not be charged until repaired to reduce accident probabilities.

Furthermore, it is recommended to have an automatic power shutdown system once the temperature exceeds acceptable limits to prevent severe damage.

Regarding infrastructure, Ewura has set recommendations on the size of areas to be used for building electric vehicle charging stations.

According to these new guidelines, a small station with two charging devices is advised to have an area of between 40 and 60 square metres.

For large stations offering fast charging services, the recommended plot area is between 300 and 600 square metres, depending entirely on the service size.

These stations are required to have essential amenities, including water, lighting, toilets, security cameras, guards, and safe entry and exit areas for vehicles.

The guidelines have also opened up opportunities for the usage of solar energy systems and power storage batteries within these charging stations.

However, these systems must strictly comply with national safety standards along with conditions for connection to the national grid.

In a move expected to boost service availability, Ewura suggests that charging stations be built every 50 kilometres along major highways.

These recommendations also apply to urban areas where electric vehicle use is expected to increase due to the growth of economic activities.

For large heavy vehicles travelling long distances, the guidelines explicitly recommend having at least one fast charging station every 100 kilometres.

This step aims to reduce user anxiety regarding charging service availability when travelling across various areas in the country.

Additionally, existing petrol stations will be permitted to install electric vehicle charging equipment, subject to all established safety conditions.

Experts believe this step will ease service access because petrol stations already possess a broad service network across many local areas.

Station operators will be required to submit detailed reports to Ewura every six months regarding their operational activities.

These reports will include station locations, types of charging equipment, service capacity, operating hours, and the exact costs currently charged to customers.

For the government, the target is ensuring 20 per cent of motor vehicles entering the country use electricity in the coming years.

Speaking on June 11, 2026, during the official launch of an electric vehicle charging station in Dodoma, Energy Minister Deogratius Ndejembi emphasised this technology's importance.

He said Tanzania has a great chance of achieving these goals due to the increased use of electric cars and motorcycles across various areas.

He explained that one of the major benefits of electric vehicles is low running costs compared to fuel-powered cars.

He said a journey from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma could cost between Sh250,000 and Sh300,000 for a fuel car.

On the other hand, for an electric car, that specific journey might only require electricity valued between Sh27,000 and Sh28,000 in total.

This cost difference continues to attract many citizens and businesspeople to consider shifting to this technology.

A 2023 report by the Africa E-Mobility Alliance shows that investment in the country's electric transport sector continues to increase rapidly.

Electric motorcycles and three-wheelers have steadily continued to lead this growth due to cheap running costs, easy maintenance, and improved overall electricity availability.