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What in the World
Electric vehicles: Charging up or powering down?
What in the World
May 16, 2024

The electric car industry is sending mixed signals. On one hand, sales of electric vehicles in Europe overtook diesel vehicles for the first time last year and annual sales of electric vehicles in China now make up 30% of total car sales in the country.

On the other hand, Elon Musk’s company Tesla and Chinese manufacturer BYD, two of the biggest electric vehicle makers, have both reported significant drops in sales this year. Plus, industry heavyweights General Motors, Nissan, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Ford have all revealed that as a result of a loss in momentum for electric cars, they are increasing their investment in hybrid vehicles, which partly use fossil fuels like petrol or diesel that harm the environment.

Confused? BBC business correspondent Erin Delmore explains what exactly is going on.

Plus, we take a closer look at how the electric vehicle industry is doing in Africa - and why the future is all about e-motorbikes instead of cars. Prosper, a 24 year old courier in Uganda tells us why she likes using an electric motorbike to get around.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: Daniel Dadzie Producers: Josh Jenkins and Adam Chowdhury Editor: Julia Ross-Roy

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USAID: Can the world live without it?

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It is the world’s biggest donor and spends billions of dollars a year, funding programmes around the world, like fighting malaria in Bangladesh, clearing unexploded landmines in Cambodia and Laos and providing medical supplies in Sudan.

But President Trump says it is run by “radical lunatics” and he and billionaire Elon Musk, who’s got the job of trying to slash American government spending, want to shut it down. They have paused almost all international spending for 90 days and issued “stop work” orders to their staff. BBC journalist Nathalia Jimenez tells us what USAID does - and why the Trump administration wants to close it.

A large proportion of USAID funding goes towards healthcare and HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa. Makuochi Okafor, the BBC’s Africa Health correspondent tells us what impact closing USAID could have in this region.

Anselm Gibbs, a BBC reporter based in Trinidad and Tobago, tells us about programmes USAID funds in the Caribbean. And Hilde Deman from Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that uses USAID funding in countries affected by violent conflict, talks about the impact to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Rosanna La Falce


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Electric vehicles: Charging up or powering down?

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