Jalisco Inaugurates its First Electric Bus Line

Jalisco’s new, fully-electric bus line Mi Transporte Electrico (My Electric Transportation) began operating on Jul 4 with 38 electric units covering a 2,442-km route. The new bus line follows the objectives of Jalisco’s Metropolitan Climate Action Plan, a state-wide action program to fight climate change. “The implementation of the (bus line) contributes to our 2050 Zero Greenhouse Gases route and to our 2030 goal to fully renovate the public transportation park with low emission vehicles, which helps build a more efficient service for users," said Jalisco’s government.

The route will be the first fully operational public transportation route that uses independent wireless units, according to Jalisco’s government. The line is composed of Sunwin buses with a capacity for 58 passengers and accessible to people with disabilities. All units are manufactured in Shangai and being used in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Colombia, China, Pakistan and Taiwan.

Before the line began operations, all drivers received three weeks of training behind the wheel. "Driving these units is different due to the fact that they are electric, more innovative and easier to drive. This is a new project for the city; it is innovative and we are pioneers," said Mayra Rebeca, a driver for the new transportation route. The new line will have a manly female driving force, with 43 female and 36 male drivers. Other public electric transportation systems in Mexico include the subways in Monterrey and Mexico City and some Metrobus units in Mexico City.

According to ANPACT President, Miguel Elizalde, the adoption of greener technologies in the heavy vehicle sector must go hand-in-hand with vehicle park renewal. "Before getting to EVs, however, the market will experiment with other technologies such as hybrid and natural gas vehicles. This does not mean we are not ready to use this technology. Many electric buses are already used in public transportation across different cities but we need to think about ROI and the incentives the industry requires," he told MBN.

Electric and alternative-power vehicles, including those that use natural gas, do not play a significant role in Mexico’s production, exports and imports, although their production grew considerably during the past year. Both DINA and Kenworth have produced electric heavy-duty trucks in the country. DINA ramped up production of these vehicles in 2020 with 35 units, while Kenworth produced eight electric units. Alternative-power commercial vehicles represented only 2 percent of total imports in 2018 but grew to 5 percent in 2019 and then to 13 percent in 2020, despite the pandemic.

Review the full analysis on heavy vehicle sales trends here.