EV Advances in Mexico

BMW Group and Nissan’s ChargeNow initiative celebrates six years, reports El Occidental. Both companies joined efforts to create infrastructure for electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid vehicle charging stations in Mexico. So far, both companies have invested MX$100 million (US$4.95 million) in the installation of about 700 charging stations throughout the country, informs La Jornada.

The initiative started back in 2015 when the two companies decided to install charging stations at their points of sale. Later, the project expanded to building charging stations in gas stations and malls, explains La Jornada. “This action reflects our commitment to provide services that facilitate the adoption of electric mobility, while we continue to promote the development of the charging infrastructure in the country,” Claudia Rodríguez, Director of Strategic Projects, Electrification and Customer Experience at Nissan Mexicana, said in an interview with El Financiero.

Is the Mexican Market Ready for EV’s?

One of the biggest concerns consumers face when buying an EV, besides the price, is the lack of sufficient charging infrastructure in Mexico. But this is a misconception, warn industry insiders. “Clients should know that Mexico City has the largest number of electric vehicle chargers per vehicle in the world. The barrier to their adoption is cultural and that requires an education strategy,” said Elías Massri, Director-General and Chairman of Giant Motors Lationamérica, in an interview with MBN. According to Massri, there are more than 1,161 charging points in Mexico. Seven hundred of those belong to the ChargeNow network and another 500 charging stations and 16 super-chargers were installed by Telsa. However, the formers are used exclusively for Tesla models. 

Rodrigo Centineo, Founding Partner and Engineering Director at E•DRIVE, argues that there are even more charging stations in Mexico. “The lack of infrastructure is a myth. It is true that it needs to grow but Mexico has 2,500 public charging points and almost 100 percent of them are free. In E•DRIVE’s history, we have installed more than 7,000 chargers, both public and private. Now we are installing between 200-250 chargers per month, nationwide,” he shared in an interview with MBN. Rodrigo Centineo’s partners believe that even the average consumer can install a charging station at home, or at work, where vehicles are going to be parked most of the day.

Claudia Márquez, CEO of Hyundai, is less optimistic about the future of EV vehicles in Mexico. To her, the country lacks sufficient infrastructure for EVs as only a small amount of charging stations per capita are available, which has delayed Hyundai’s commitment to invest in electric vehicles in the country. Márquez also mentioned that electric vehicles tend to have much higher production costs, which leads to a much higher price, making opportunity costs rise even more. Márquez, however, understands why these options are demanded and valued by people so much nowadays, considering the benefits electric alternatives offer in terms of environmental impact.