Sustainable Mobility Is Essential for Mexico, the Future Planet

According to the 2019 United Nations Electric Mobility Report, the transport sector in Latin America is responsible for 22 percent of polluting emissions and 15 percent of greenhouse gases.

Implementing responsible action to reduce emissions and greenhouse gases for the sake of the planet has now become more essential than ever. Remaining committed to the fight against climate change is one of the automotive industry’s main priorities.  

The electrification of the automotive sector would contribute extensively to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals. According to UN estimates, this would lead to a substantial reduction in CO2, potentially 2.4 gigatons, which would represent fuel savings of close to US$85 billion in the 2016-2050 period.

The accelerated growth of cities entails not only a mobility challenge but, also, challenges related to climate change mitigation and healthcare for the population. In this sense, automotive companies and governments worldwide have set the electrification of the vehicle fleet and its operations as a priority in the coming decades. Within the framework of a new paradigm, the automotive industry has assumed growing commitments at a global level to contribute to the mitigation of polluting emissions through strategies that benefit the introduction of electrified vehicles over internal combustion vehicles.

In the transition to electromobility, multiple interrelated factors converge, including climate change, energy efficiency, clean and renewable energies, industrial competitiveness, research, development, and innovation, especially in countries where the automotive industry is part of the production and export matrix. For this reason, the promotion of the electrification of fleets and sustainable mobility is being accompanied by comprehensive public policy strategies developed in each country in conjunction with the automotive industry to mitigate emissions and, at the same time, promote industrial competitiveness.

The automotive industry is undergoing an accelerated global transformation that will change the way we understand mobility and will require profound changes in the very way in which vehicles are produced. Electric power, its capacity guarantee, and the way it is produced will be among the most important elements defining the destiny of where the vehicles of the future will be produced.

Thus, the Mexican Association of the Automotive Industry (AMIA) is committed to providing the best technologies to help solve these problems and, together with governments, take on the challenge of promoting public policies that facilitate electrification of fleets and sustainable mobility.

To achieve sustainable and comprehensive mobility, the promotion of electrified vehicles must be extended to the passenger transport system, freight transportation and logistics vehicles as well as compact vehicles for public and private services, without forgetting the support infrastructure required. This will require bold and coordinated actions from the public and private sectors to optimize technology transfer, seek manufacturing incentives, and adopt public policies that allow users to access electrified vehicles.

Currently, hybrid-electric, plug-in hybrid, extended-range electric and battery-electric vehicles are already a real alternative to internal combustion vehicles in Mexico. The strategy toward the transition of electromobility in our country must establish specific objectives and goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the short, medium, and long term. The transition to electromobility in Mexico still requires:

• Implementation of a comprehensive public policy that includes the appropriate legal framework to promote and regulate the use of new technologies.
• Support for potential consumers of hybrid and electric vehicles with tax and non-tax incentives.
• Promoting the growth of the network of charging stations.
• Supply of energy from renewable sources at competitive prices, which is essential to attract new investment projects in electromobility.

We know that the development of electromobility in Mexico must include the application of measures and actions such as fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, infrastructure development, a legal and regulatory framework, as well as information campaigns. Therefore, reiterating our openness to dialogue and willingness to collaborate in favor of the economic and social growth of the country becomes important as time passes and global warming starts to affect us more and more.