Grupo Modelo Opens First Electric Heavy Vehicle Charging Station

Grupo Modelo recently opened Latin America’s first heavy vehicle electric charging station, as part of its efforts to reduce the carbon emissions caused by its fleet by 25% in Mexico City by 2025. This was achieved thanks to a US$380,320 investment (MX$7 million) and the collaboration with the local government.

This is the first of the eight charging stations that Grupo Modelo plans to build in the country, aiming to serve 200 heavy electric vehicles with a total investment of over US$2.2 million (MX$42 million), according to El Economista.  

During the inauguration of the station, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum stated the critical role that electromobility has in reducing pollution, noise and greenhouse gas emissions. “The whole world is moving towards electromobility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, polluting emissions; and Mexico City is being an example of this,” highlights Sheinbaum.

The company's decarbonization process started three years ago and now 5% of its fleet is fully electric. Grupo Modelo aims to achieve zero carbon emission caused by heavy vehicles by 2040. The charging center has the capacity to accommodate up to 32 units with capacity of 21 tons each in a two hour period.

Grupo Modelo currently has 132 fully electric trucks operating across the country and is set to open eight charging stations across in the short term. "We are still identifying in which cities and in which points it is convenient for us to enable these electric stations. That is what we have for now in the short term for 2023,” says Sergio Valadez, Director of Logistics, Grupo Modelo.

“Technology and innovation play to provide excellent customer service and to have a positive impact in the communities where we operate,” says Cassiano De Stefano, President, Grupo Modelo, according to a Mexico City Government press release.

This is not the only strategy that Grupo Modelo is implementing to increase its sustainability. In Dec. 2022, the company announced a collaboration with Absolicon to create a solar heat installation in Mexico. The installation process is scheduled to begin in 2023, using the patented Absolicon T160 technology. Absolicon solar collectors will supply renewable solar energy to power the industrial brewing processes. The company will collaborate with its local production line partner, CITRUS in Mexico, to ensure a smooth installation process and proper local preparation, as reported by MBN.