Wuling Yangguang vs Ruichi EC35: Electric Vans for Ethiopia’s Cargo and Taxi Trade

The Wuling Yangguang and the Ruichi EC35 are both electric light vans on a 3050 mm wheelbase, and that is roughly where the similarity ends. The Yangguang carries 1,249 kg against the EC35’s 1,010 kg, offers 300–440 km of CLTC range against 274–282 km, runs to 100 km/h against 80 km/h, and — decisively for Ethiopia — is available in 6-seat and 9-seat passenger versions as well as a panel van. The EC35 answers back with a battery warranty of 8 years / 400,000 km, a figure aimed squarely at operators who will actually run the distance. If your customer is hauling goods around a city, both work. If they are carrying passengers or leaving the city, only one does.

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The commercial problem Ethiopia created

Ethiopia’s 29 January 2024 ban on new petrol and diesel private vehicle imports gets discussed almost entirely in terms of private cars. The commercial consequences are larger and less discussed.

Electric and hybrid vehicles are exempt from the ban and carry 15% customs duty with VAT, excise tax and surtax waived, as set out in our guide to importing electric cars from China to Ethiopia. For a business buyer, that tax structure applied to a working vehicle is a substantially better deal than it is applied to a private car — the duty saving scales with the number of units in a fleet, and the running-cost saving compounds with distance.

The constraint is the same one every Ethiopian EV buyer faces: roughly 100 public charging stations against an estimated 2,300+ needed nationwide. For a commercial operator this is less damaging than it is for a private buyer, because a business with a depot can install its own charging and a working vehicle returns to the same place every night. Depot charging is the single thing that makes electric commercial vehicles work in this market. If you are sizing a first order, compare the specifications side by side before committing to a body type.

The specification table

Figures are from the manufacturers’ published configuration data for the current cars.

Where a cell says “not published”, we have left it blank rather than fill it with an estimate. Wuling does not publish a cargo volume in cubic metres and Ruichi does not publish a DC charge time on its specification page. If either decides your order, ask and we will measure or confirm on the actual unit.

Payload and box: the Yangguang is simply a bigger van

2830 × 1680 × 1365 mm against 2530 × 1440 × 1270 mm. The Yangguang’s cargo box is 300 mm longer, 240 mm wider and 95 mm taller. On the same 3050 mm wheelbase, it packages substantially more usable volume — which is what 485 mm of extra overall length and 120 mm of extra width buys.

The payload difference is 1,249 kg against 1,010 kg, a gap of 239 kg. For a distribution operator that is either one more pallet per run or the difference between two trips and one.

The counter-argument is real and worth stating: 240 mm of extra width is 240 mm you have to fit through older streets. In the denser parts of Addis Ababa, the narrower EC35 is easier to place, and an operator whose routes are constrained by access rather than by volume may genuinely prefer it.

Torque versus power, and what each maker was optimising

This is the most interesting row in the table and the easiest to read backwards.

The EC35 produces 220 N·m from a 60 kW motor. The Yangguang produces 180–200 N·m from 75–100 kW. The smaller-motor van has more torque.

That is a deliberate choice. Ruichi geared the EC35 for pulling load from standstill and capped it at 80 km/h. It is engineered as a city delivery vehicle and nothing else. The Yangguang’s 100 kW / 200 N·m setup trades some low-end pull for the ability to sustain 100 km/h, which is what you need to move between towns rather than within one.

For Ethiopia this maps cleanly onto two different businesses:

• Intra-city distribution in Addis Ababa — routes under 50 km, frequent stops, heavy loads, no highway running. The EC35 is built for exactly this, and its 80 km/h ceiling costs nothing.
• Intercity or peri-urban work — moving goods between Addis Ababa and surrounding towns, or servicing routes off the main corridor. An 80 km/h vehicle is a liability here. The Yangguang’s 440 km range and 100 km/h are not luxuries.

The 9-seat version is the one to pay attention to

The Yangguang is available as a 6-seat or 9-seat passenger vehicle (客车版) alongside the panel van, with the 9-seat available on the 440 km battery.

This matters because of a specific detail in Ethiopia’s rules. The electric and hybrid import provisions, as documented, cover vehicles seating fewer than 10 passengers. A 9-seat passenger van sits just inside that line.

For the Addis Ababa shared-taxi and staff-transport trade — which runs on exactly this size of vehicle, and which has had its traditional petrol and diesel supply cut off — a 9-seat electric van with 440 km of range and depot charging is a genuinely well-matched product. There is no equivalent in the EC35 line-up as specified.

One caution, stated plainly. If your customer is looking at larger minibuses seating 10 or more, the treatment described above is not established for that vehicle class and should be confirmed with a licensed clearing agent before you quote. We have seen buyers assume the EV provisions scale up to any vehicle. Do not make that assumption on a customer’s behalf — it is the kind of error that strands a unit at Djibouti.

Range, charging and heat

440 km against 282 km is not a marginal difference for a working vehicle. A delivery operator covering 150 km a day charges the Yangguang every second or third night and the EC35 every night, once you discount CLTC for a loaded vehicle. Over a fleet, that is depot charging capacity you either do or do not have to build.

Two details favour the Yangguang on charging:

• 15 to 18 minutes for 30–80% on DC. For a van that runs two shifts, a mid-day top-up of that length is operationally realistic.
• Liquid-cooled battery. This is the specification that does not look important until you are operating in heat. Liquid cooling manages pack temperature during fast charging and sustained load far better than passive or air cooling. In Ethiopian lowland conditions, and on repeated DC sessions, it is the difference between a pack that holds its rate and one that throttles.

Ruichi does not publish a DC charge time, which we have left blank rather than guess at. What Ruichi does publish is the warranty, and it is the strongest number either maker offers.

The EC35’s 400,000 km answer

8 years / 400,000 km on the battery.

That is not a consumer warranty. It is a commercial-fleet warranty, and it tells you what Ruichi expects the vehicle to do. 400,000 km at 150 km a day is more than seven years of continuous six-day-a-week operation.

The usual caveat applies with more force than usual here: warranty is territorial and does not travel to Ethiopia automatically. Coverage is administered through authorised networks, and where no official importer exists there is nothing to claim against. Quote the customer only what is enforceable where the vehicle will work.

But as a signal of engineering intent, it is the clearest statement in this comparison. Ruichi built a vehicle meant to be worked hard for a long time in a narrow operating envelope. Wuling built a more capable, more flexible vehicle and has not made the same public commitment about its longevity in the data we have.

Which one for which customer

Wuling Yangguang fits:

• Operators carrying passengers — the 6- and 9-seat versions have no EC35 equivalent
• Heavier loads: 1,249 kg payload and a 2830 mm cargo box
• Any route requiring more than 80 km/h or more than ~250 km between charges
• Fleets that will fast-charge mid-shift, where liquid cooling earns its place
• Operators in hotter, lower-altitude regions where pack thermal management matters

Ruichi EC35 fits:

• Dense intra-city delivery where 1,680 mm of width is an access advantage
• Operators who value the 8-year / 400,000 km battery commitment above all else
• Fixed short routes with overnight depot charging and no highway running
• Buyers who want the simplest possible commercial vehicle with nothing extra to go wrong

A note on naming. The Yangguang is sold under its domestic name and does not have a long-established export designation the way BYD’s cars do. Expect the invoice, the certificate of conformity and the customer’s paperwork to use different terms, and check that they refer to the same vehicle — the general problem is covered in Chinese model names versus export names.

Ordering and shipping notes

Both are left-hand drive, satisfying Ethiopia’s requirement, and both are battery-electric, so both attract the 15% duty with VAT, excise and surtax waived.

Specify the body type explicitly. “Yangguang” covers a 2-seat panel van, a 6-seat passenger van and a 9-seat passenger van, on three different battery sizes, with two different motors and top speeds ranging from 90 to 100 km/h. A quote naming only the model is not a quote. State body type, seat count, battery kWh, CLTC range and motor output in kW.

Vans load differently from cars. At roughly 5 metres long and 1975 mm tall these are not stackable the way a hatchback is, and the freight component per unit is higher than you may expect: read how many cars fit in a container before pricing.

The route into Ethiopia runs through Djibouti, then inland via the Addis Ababa–Djibouti corridor by rail or road. There is no realistic alternative; plan the timeline around this single corridor and around the destination port’s handling.

Commercial vehicles need a stricter pre-shipment record than cars. Payload plate, cargo box measurements, VIN, battery state and motor output should all be photographed on the actual unit. Our condition report format covers the structure; the import traps checklist covers what goes wrong without it.

Send us the load profile, not the model name. Daily distance, maximum load, route type and whether it carries goods or people determine the variant — put those on an enquiry and we will spec it.

Verify your counterparty before payment. Commercial vehicle orders are larger and the consequences of specification drift are proportionally worse: how the China export chain works and what to check.

If the customer actually needs a car

If the buyer is carrying people rather than goods and does not need nine seats, a passenger vehicle will serve them better on comfort and cost. The Seagull and Wuling Bingo are the entry point, the Yuan UP and Yuan Plus add SUV space and range, and the Sealion 06 EV reaches 710 km of range with 237 kW charging. The broader survey is in our 2026 export shortlist, and new importers should start with the dealer’s guide.

Exporting either one to Ethiopia

Ethiopia banned new petrol and diesel private-vehicle imports on 29 January 2024. Electric and hybrid vehicles are exempt and carry 15% customs duty with VAT, excise tax and surtax waived, so an EV or hybrid is the only realistic way into this market now. Both vehicles on this page are left-hand drive, which Ethiopia requires, and seat fewer than 10 passengers, which the provisions cover.

Everything routes through Djibouti. Ethiopia is landlocked and over 90% of its trade moves through the Port of Djibouti, then inland by the Addis Ababa–Djibouti railway or by road. There is no alternative corridor, so plan the timeline around it.

One caveat worth raising with the customer: public charging is thin — roughly 100 stations against an estimated 2,300+ needed nationwide, concentrated in Addis Ababa. Most owners will charge on AC at home or business premises. That favours a buyer with their own charging point over one relying on public infrastructure.

CIF Djibouti is available for Ethiopia. Tell us the model and quantity and we will quote CIF to Djibouti, so you compare one delivered number instead of assembling freight, insurance and handling yourself. EXW, FCA and FOB remain available if you prefer to control the shipping leg.

👉 Ask for current EV and hybrid stock plus a CIF Djibouti landed-cost quote. Talk to us · Ethiopia import rules in full →

FAQ

Which electric van carries more, the Yangguang or the EC35?

The Yangguang. Its maximum payload is 1,249 kg against 1,010 kg for the EC35, and its cargo box is 2830 × 1680 × 1365 mm against 2530 × 1440 × 1270 mm — longer, wider and taller.

Does either van come as a passenger vehicle?

The Yangguang does, in 6-seat and 9-seat configurations, with the 9-seat available on the 440 km battery. The EC35 as specified is a panel van only.

Can a 9-seat electric van be imported into Ethiopia under the EV rules?

The electric and hybrid provisions as documented cover vehicles seating fewer than 10 passengers, so a 9-seat van sits inside that scope. For anything seating 10 or more, confirm the treatment with a licensed clearing agent before quoting — do not assume it scales.

How far do these vans go on a charge?

The Yangguang is rated 300, 310, 330, 340 or 440 km CLTC depending on battery and body. The EC35 is rated 274 or 282 km CLTC. Both figures are laboratory numbers; loaded commercial use will be lower.

Why does the EC35 have more torque from a smaller motor?

It is geared for load rather than speed. Ruichi built a dedicated city delivery vehicle with 220 N·m for pulling away under load and capped it at 80 km/h. The Yangguang’s higher-power motor trades some low-end pull for a 100 km/h capability.

How fast can these vans charge?

The Yangguang is rated 15 minutes for 30–80% on the 41.9 and 43.5 kWh batteries and 18 minutes on the 56.2 kWh battery. Ruichi does not publish a DC charge time for the EC35. In practice most commercial operators will charge overnight at their depot.

Does the EC35’s 8-year / 400,000 km battery warranty apply in Ethiopia?

Not automatically. Manufacturer warranty is territorial and is administered through authorised networks in each market. Treat it as a signal of how the vehicle was engineered, not as coverage you can promise a customer, and state clearly who administers what in the destination market.

Is a liquid-cooled battery worth paying for?

For a vehicle that will fast-charge repeatedly or work under sustained load in heat, yes. Liquid cooling holds pack temperature during DC sessions and heavy duty cycles, where passive cooling throttles the charge rate. The Yangguang has it; Ruichi does not specify.

What should I put on the purchase order?

Body type and seat count, battery capacity in kWh, CLTC range figure, motor output in kW and torque, payload rating, and cargo box dimensions where it is a panel van. The Yangguang alone spans eight current variants — the model name identifies almost nothing on its own.