Gaza's electric car. Photo: screenshot.

Gaza may still be reeling from a several-month long fuel crisis, but that doesn’t concern Munzer Al-Kasas, a taxi driver and resident of the Gaza Strip who has managed to create an electric car from spare parts, including electric cables, metals, and a small battery. Propped on wheels slightly thicker than bike tires, the vehicle is likened to a modern rickshaw by Israel’s Mako News, and can run up to 20 kph (about 12 mph) with a load of more than 300 lbs.

Al-Kasas says he made the vehicle in his front yard, from parts he is proud to report were locally found, not smuggled through the Gaza border. After obtaining parts, the construction of the car took only three days, which al-Kasas says is proof that it is easy to make cars in Gaza. Well, maybe not cars specifically – the vehicle is more akin to a golf cart or GEM vehicle in capacity and build.

“It reminds me of the carts used on golf courses and airports” said the car’s creator to Mako News, adding “one has to drive it slowly, because of highway and road problems in the Strip.”

Al-Kasas is not finished with his vehicle, and he plans to make it more useful and give it to a good cause. “I plan on developing it so that it will move on solar energy” he said. “It’s my intention to donate the car to emergency medical services, so it can help provide first aid care. It will be outfitted with Oxygen tanks and give care in emergencies.”

The car and other innovations over the years have earned al-Kasas neighborhood recognition as a technological and economical reformer.

You can watch a video of the car below.