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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Andrea Rodriguez

Solar-powered tricycles help Cubans navigate fuel shortages and blackouts

APTOPIX Cuba Electric Trycicles - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All right reserved)

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.

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