During 2021, China was the country that sold the most electric and hybrid cars, with almost 2.3 million units placed in the local market. The Asian country was followed by the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy, according to the German consulting firm Statista.
However, in Mexico only 47,079 vehicles with this type of technology were sold, which represented only 4.6% of the total sales of light vehicles in the country, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi). That is to say, it only sold 2% compared to those placed by China , 5.1% of those corresponding to the US market and 5.7% of those sold in Germany.
From the point of view of consumers, boosting the sale of these units in the country requires work to reduce items such as price, but also problems related to the lack of charging infrastructure.
According to an analysis by the consulting firm JD Power, the main reason why people do not buy an electric vehicle is because they consider that there are few charging stations.
Added to this is the price of the units . For buyers, the costs are still high compared to internal combustion vehicles, so if they were cheaper, they would evaluate them as an option.
The lack of infrastructure also translates into a shortage of service centers available for repair in the event of a failure, because as it is a mobility alternative different from the usual one, they have in mind that the spare parts could be more expensive compared to those of traditional vehicles.
The consultant’s analysis indicates that 39% of Mexicans are willing to buy a hybrid vehicle , while only 15% would buy a fully electric vehicle.
In the segment of electrified vehicles, the brand that sells the most units in Mexico is Toyota, which has an offer of five models, followed by KIA, with one model; Ford with three, and Hyundai and Honda with one model each.
José Zozaya, president of the Mexican Association of the Automotive Industry (AMIA), which brings together more than 20 companies in the sector, considers that a strategy focused on consumers is necessary, with support that encourages its commercialization so that electrification in Mexico is push harder.
“The automotive sector and all the technology are going there, with or without Mexico, so it is better that we get our batteries up to be up to the challenge,” warns the industry representative. “What we have seen is that the volumes of sales are low, but the percentages increase significantly, up to 100% from one year to the next”, he asserts.
Throughout 2021, 1,014,680 light vehicles were sold in Mexico, of which 4.6% were electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid units, according to Inegi data.
Zozaya considers that it is necessary to develop a comprehensive action that incorporates measures both in terms of production and marketing , and that comes from the federal government, which can ally with the private initiative to resolve issues such as the lack of charging infrastructure.
“We believe that when joint work is done, when public policies are made and the infrastructure is in place, this will reach record levels ,” he assured.
For Brais Álvarez, account manager of JD Power Consulting, electric vehicles are also an opportunity for financial schemes such as leasing, mainly for individuals with business activity, who have the possibility of deducting these costs . Through this scheme, about one in every 10 vehicles is sold in the formal market.
In other parts of the world, examples abound of solving the lack of charging infrastructure.
On June 9, the United States Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, assured that the country seeks to lead the “electric car revolution” through the construction of a national network of 500,000 chargers by 2030 , which is part of a bipartisan infrastructure law of 1.2 billion dollars with the aim of boosting the commercialization of these cars.
In adopting mobility schemes with less impact on the environment, Europe has also set ambitious goals. In the last days of June, the 27 member countries approved ending the sale of internal combustion vehicles by 2035.
