Electromobility poised to play greater role in mass transit after COVID-19

Electromobility is poised to boost its presence in Santiago’s and Bogotá’s public transport systems after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re trying to turn this into an opportunity to boost electromobility, within our possibilities. We’re trying to reprioritize initiatives that we were looking to do in one or two years, but now are thinking of doing in one or two months,” Bogotá’s mobility policy undersecretary Sergio Martínez told a webinar held by the UN’s Latin American electromobility platform MOVE.

The official also said that the city government is looking at ways to bolster electromobility-linked firms amidst the economic slump through incentives. “[They] can be tax or regulatory incentives,” he said.

In terms of specific projects, Martínez said work on the city’s largest electromobility system, its first metro line, is still scheduled to start this year.

In the case of Santiago, the cabinet chief of Chile’s transport ministry (MTT), Juan Carlos González, said the pandemic “showed us that we can influence demand though a multisector effort,” and added that the authority is working with the private sector to manage public transport demand during rush hour.

Referring to the current bus purchase tender for Santiago’s RED system, which includes electric vehicles, he said that “buying electric buses is an important financial challenge” but that “the system’s capacity to adjust to the post COVID-19 reality will have to be more agile.”

González said that on average electric buses cost 40% more than regular ones, but that was offset by lower operating costs, although he warned that traditional maintenance systems are not apt for electric vehicles since they require daily attention, as opposed to once or twice a month.