Cubans Shift to EVs and Solar as Trump's 6-Month Oil Blockade Deepens Blackouts
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 27
Cubans Shift to EVs and Solar as Trump's 6-Month Oil Blockade Deepens Blackouts
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 27
Summary
Nearly all-day blackouts and dry fuel lines have pushed Cubans to build ad hoc energy workarounds rather than buckle under the crisis.
Chinese electric motorcycles and rickshaws, hefty lithium batteries, natural-gas generators and rooftop solar are helping households and small operators keep fans, televisions and transport running.
Those stopgaps are creating a more decentralized energy grid, with ordinary Cubans supplying power and mobility as the state struggles with its worst-ever energy crunch.
Trump predicted on Jan. 4 that Cuba would "fall" after cutting off Venezuelan oil, but more than six months later the island is still functioning, though under severe strain.