Solar-powered retrofitted tricycles help Cuba cope with fuel shortages and power outages

AP reported on July 10 that the iconic vintage fuel-powered vehicles on Cuban streets have now almost disappeared, replaced by a large number of electric three-wheelers — the vast majority of which are manufactured in China and have become the core travel tool for hundreds of thousands of Cuban people plagued by long-term fuel crises.

These three-wheelers are no ordinary electric models. Many Cuban owners have installed solar panels on their own, allowing them to charge without relying on the already overloaded national power grid, perfectly adapting to the local situation of frequent power outages. 40-year-old owner Lisel de la Cruz admitted that this has become the most mainstream travel mode for Cuban people today, in sharp contrast to the vintage fuel-powered vehicles that filled the streets and emitted plumes of black smoke just a year ago.

These three-wheelers are priced between $2,000 and $4,000, mainly used for cargo transportation, and also cover fixed passenger routes that were previously served by buses. Although the price exceeds the affordability of most Cuban people, many still choose to sell their old fuel-powered vehicles for a replacement, while some purchase them through relatives overseas. These models are sold at lower prices abroad, and many small business owners invest their operating profits in buying them, expecting to recoup the costs through subsequent operations. Since the Trump administration of the United States threatened in January this year to impose additional tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, only one oil tanker arrived in Cuba at the end of March, compared with an average of about 8 oil tankers arriving per month previously, while Cuba itself can only produce about 40% of its required fuel.

Source: Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Cuba