Chinese electric cars, scooters gain ground on Cuban streets

STORY: Chinese electric cars, scooters gain ground on Cuban streets DATELINE: Jan. 17, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:42 LOCATION: Havana CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the production of vehicles 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WEI YUNPU, President of Tianjin Dongxing Industrial and Commercial Group 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): JULIO OSCAR PEREZ, VEDCA Director General 4. various of the production of vehicles STORYLINE: Thousands of people across Cuba have started to use Chinese electric cars and scooters, amid fuel shortages and tightened U.S. economic sanctions, which have dealt a heavy blow to the island's transportation system. To increase the presence of electric vehicles, China's Tianjin Dongxing Industrial and Commercial Group, along with Cuban state-owned company Minerva, created Caribbean Electric Vehicles (VEDCA), a joint venture that has quickly won the island's market. Official statistics show that since March 2019, VEDCA has produced 2,500 electric scooters, 1,500 electric tricycles and other products