Solar-powered tricycles help Cubans navigate fuel shortages and
blackouts
[July 11, 2026] By
ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ
HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s iconic vintage cars have all but disappeared and in
their place, small electric tricycles — most of them made in China —
have become the primary means of transportation for hundreds of
thousands of Cubans grappling with a prolonged fuel crisis.
These are no ordinary electric tricycles — many Cubans have outfitted
them with solar panels, allowing the vehicles to recharge without
relying on the island nation's strained power grid.
The three-wheelers are a far cry from the old-timers that only a year
ago cruised the streets spewing clouds of black smoke.
“This is how people get around now,” said 40-year-old Liecer de la Cruz,
who owns one of these vehicles.
The tricycles, with a cost between $2,000 and $4,000, are used to
transport goods and serve fixed routes once covered by buses.
While their price is out of reach for most Cubans, many have sold their
older gasoline-powered cars to buy the tricycles. Others got them from
relatives abroad, where they are generally cheaper, and some
small-business owners even used their profits to invest in them,
expecting to recoup the cost.
In January, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on
countries that sell oil to Cuba, which produces only about 40% of the
fuel it needs. Since then, just a single oil tanker has arrived on the
island, in late March — down from about eight a month previously.
The impact on daily life in Cuba has been significant.
Rolling blackouts have worsened, exacerbating hardships in a country
whose economy has been in crisis for five years. Shortages of food and
medicine have deepened, and public transportation has been sharply
reduced.
Amid the crisis, electric tricycles have become indispensable. They
transport goods, serve fixed routes once covered by buses and, in some
Havana neighborhoods, they are used to collect garbage.
People with heavy shopping bags can catch rides on the tricycles — a
slow, hot and uncomfortable ride. But it's better than walking.
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People ride in an electric tricycle in Havana, Cuba, Friday, July
10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
 “If you can pay for it, you just
take it; otherwise you can’t go anywhere,” said Berta Ferrer, a
52-year-old clerk at a store in central Havana where she works four
days a week.
She pays about 500 Cuban pesos — less than $1 — for the ride, a
significant expense in a country where monthly salaries average
about $10 for state workers and roughly $40 for private-sector
employees.
Electric tricycles from Chinese brands such as Zonsen and Jinpeng
have become a common sight on Cuba’s streets. Many are bought in
countries such as Panama and shipped to the island by relatives or
importers for resale, and they run on gel or lithium batteries.
Under an agreement with China, the Vedca brand is assembled in Cuba.
Some owners have installed solar panels on the awnings over seats of
the tricycle, allowing them to recharge on the go and keep operating
despite the island’s energy crisis.
“There are so many tricycles in Havana that you can’t spend 10
minutes on a street without seeing countless numbers of them pass
by,” said 29-year-old engineer Carlos Álvarez, who owns a workshop
specializing in electric vehicles.
He spoke as he was installing a mounting bracket for a solar panel
on one of the tricycles and acknowledged the investment can be
costly — about $500 — but said it pays off quickly as it helps
owners cope with fuel shortages and blackouts.
Ricardo Quintero, an engineer who owns one of the tricycles, said he
uses it to transport produce to the vegetable stand he runs with his
family.
“I think this is here to stay,” he said, looking at his
three-wheeler.
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