Universal Charging Critical to Electric Mobility Acceleration

Q: How is Evergo boosting Mexico’s electric mobility landscape?

A: We started the company seven years ago and our main goal has always been to be the bridge between the automotive industry and the end user. The founding members of the company worked in the automotive, energy and logistics sectors for many years and we discovered that there was a big opportunity to fill the gap between the automakers who produced EVs and the customers who were adopting the few models that were available‌.

Evergo provides holistic solutions for EV charging stations. The company’s services cover the installation, upgrading and scalability of the chargers, or basically the entire life cycle of the system so that the end user does not have to worry about any of the logistics or the hard parts of owning charging stations. Electric mobility has already detonated in Mexico. Just in the last three years, over 150 EV models from all types of brands and markets have arrived in the country. This is something that does not happen in all markets, even in more developed economies.

Q: What added value has allowed Evergo to become the leader in electric mobility infrastructure solutions in Mexico?

A: Our intelligence solutions have been key. Our software has become standard in Mexico and in several Latin American countries. This solution allows for our customers to manage their charging infrastructure not only at the energy level but also to go one step further and monetize the business of electric mobility through a clear platform that is user-experience based, allowing people to access charging points anywhere across the region.

Evergo is a pioneer in making electrification possible. We have worked alongside Mexico’s automotive industry to help end users overcome the fear of running out of charge during their daily routine. Today, we have over 12,000 active users just at the residential level, which makes it the largest base of EV charging stations in the country.
 

Q: Evergo recently acquired Evergo. What does this acquisition mean for the company?

A: On Jan. 1, 2023, E-Drive evolved to Evergo Mexico. We are making the biggest investment in EV charging infrastructure that has ever been made, not only in the country but in all of Latin America. It is a US$400 million investment to build over 15,000 public charging stations over a 10-year period. The goal is to connect an electrified infrastructure from border to border to facilitate the development of passenger, commercial and public EVs. The merger with Evergo gives us a solid base from which we can move toward even more ambitious objectives.

Q: What have been the main challenges the company has faced when adapting its service portfolio to customer demands?

A: Initially, we had difficulties in finding a reliable base of clients because the market only had three available EV models, there were no public or private incentives and since it was a new technology, end users questioned the reliability of EVs, fearing they would lack the mileage range offered by internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. During the 2015 environmental contingency of the Doble No Circula (no-driving days) in Mexico City, we understood that many of our potential users did not look at EVs from a sustainable point of view but more because they wanted the freedom to use their personal vehicle every single day.

The second-biggest challenge was to find the right technology in Mexico. There are many businesses that manufacture EV charging stations; however, none see the country as the domestic market. We had to research suppliers that were invested in Mexico, which at the time was a small market, so it was hard to find a business partner willing to provide their service and commercialize their products in the country.

A third challenge has been the intense competition for Mexican talent. Fortunately, our turnover rate is minimal and that is because our associates have grown in terms of compensation. This is a challenging job so we have to ensure we have the right conditions that allow people to develop and feel at ease at work.

Q: What are the most important actions the country needs to take to become an EV manufacturing powerhouse?

A: We need to standardize the charging format. To achieve this, it is critical that governmental institutions comply and align their desire to have a universal charger. It is better to have automakers invest in one type of charging station that is compatible with all the vehicles that circulate in Mexico, rather than having to finance three, four or five loading formats to meet the total demand of the different models.

Q: What are Evergo’s objectives for 2023?

A: Our first goal for next year is to deploy our network of over 1,000 active charging points throughout the country, including both of our alternating current and fast-charging systems. Our second goal is to deploy a suite of advanced charging solutions per segment: MyEvergo for home charging; EvergoFleet for charging depots and last mile delivery, Evergo Public Charging and finally EvergoConnect, our first flagship Service Station, the equivalent to Petrol Stations but for EVs only into a Carbon Neutral environment and finally, replicate our experience in Mexico to other countries in which Evergo operates, including Dominican Republic, Panama, Jamaica, Aruba, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Spain.

Evergo is the leading and largest public fast charging network for electric vehicles in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean. With more than 1,000 charging locations in 10 markets, Evergo owns and operates the most public charging locations in the region and serves more than 12,000 customers. Evergo has been leading the way on transportation electrification, partnering with automakers, fleet and rideshare operators, retail hosts like hotels, shopping centers, gas stations and parking lot operators, and other stakeholders to deploy advanced charging technology to expand network availability and accelerate the transition to transport electrification.