In February 2025, the police suddenly started impounding e-tricycles in Hauna and Chipinge, despite having previously allowed the women to operate freely. They demanded registration and driving licences, which cripples women’s businesses.
In February 2025, the police suddenly started impounding e-tricycles in Hauna and Chipinge, despite having previously allowed the women to operate freely. They demanded registration and driving licences, which cripples women’s businesses.
I’d have some real questions about rollover risk on these. Three-wheel ATVs have a bad history and were banned in the US back in the 1980s — they’re less stable than quads and heavy enough to incur severe crush injuries in a rollover — and I’d expect that the batteries make these even heavier.
And these aren’t just personal vehicles, like the ATVs, but being used to run a commercial service. The government probably has a heightened interest in safety of passengers of commercial service.
Lives are cheaper in some places in the world, and maybe that’s not a luxury that that Zimbabwe can afford, if it needs inexpensive transport. But if there is one kind of vehicle that I’d be dubious about, it’d be something like these.
Roll risk on these won’t be too bad. They have a very long wheel base compared to the 3 wheelers that caused the ban. And the heavy battery is likely placed low down, lowering the center of gravity considerably.
The most common cause of 3 wheelers rolling was hitting something with one back wheel while going fast, launching that side into the air high enough to get the center of gravity past the triangle shape of the wheelbase. This was pretty easy to do with a short wheelbase, high center of gravity, big bouncy tires, and tendency to be moving very fast off-road. Those factors look to be either eliminated or much reduced here.