Chile and Colombia expected to regain electromobility momentum in 2025

Although the growth of electromobility has slowed in Chile and Colombia, both markets should regain traction in the short term.

“Colombia started [electromobility] very well and in the past year it went into an inexplicable lull. As for Chile, I expected it to grow faster than it did in the past year,” electric vehicle charging equipment provider Blink Charging's business development manager for Latin America, Patricia Baires, told BNamericas.

“However, we've seen signs that have made us believe that 2025 will be very good for Chile and Colombia, and that they will be able to recover what they lost.” 

Bogotá and Santiago are the cities with most electric buses outside China and are constantly adding to their fleets. 

Baires highlighted that Latin America has advanced a lot during the past 18 months, with several countries introducing electromobility legislation that has helped promote the transition. 

"Mexico has grown very rapidly, but its growth has been focused on private sector fleets," Baires said. In comparison, Colombia and Chile have mostly focused on public transport fleets, while Costa Rica has focused on individual buyers.

Brazil is also expected to play a more important role because of the size of its market, while Argentina has sent only weak signs that it “actually wants to enter” the electromobility race, according to Baires.

But Baires highlighted that Latin American cities aren’t designed for electromobility infrastructure.

“We don’t have enough energy at points where we really need energy to be available,” she said. 

This creates a situation in which chargers are installed in locations without enough available energy, meaning additional energy has to be transferred and project costs rise. 

Delays related to bureaucratic and regulatory barriers are also a deterrent, Baires added.

To maintain growth, she said, Latin America must foster competition between different technologies and avoid forcing a single EV standard, which would make the region less attractive for manufacturers.