The Congress is held every two years and on this occasion, during the weekend there is an exhibition of electric vehicles.
As part of this event called “E-Mobility 2024”, the Electric Mobility Association of Guatemala (Amegua) carries out different activities in Cayalá, with which they seek to present the progress that this sector has had in the country.
An indicator of these advances is that each year the acquisition of electric vehicles has grown, says Nancy Chacón, president of Amegua.
In the country there are currently regarding 570 100% electric units, and although it is still a very small number, the growth in recent years is significant, since 300 vehicles of this type were sold in 2023 alone, the executive explained. .
In previous years, between 20 to 80 units were sold, but interest in the adoption of this type of vehicle has been noted and by 2024 it is expected to continue rising, he added.
Unlike other countries, in Guatemala this technology is just beginning to be used because it is in the adaptation process, says the representative of Amegua.
One of the main fears for the acquisition of electric vehicles is access to charging points, an aspect in which progress has also been made.
According to Chacón, initially people told them that they like electric vehicles, but they were afraid of what would happen if they had to travel to the interior of the country and there were no chargers. But, that “is a little like the chicken and the egg, since no one was going to put in chargers if there were no cars and in turn people were afraid of purchasing an electric car if there were no chargers.”
Currently there are more than 100 public chargers in the country of Guatemala, most in the capital city but there are also many in the interior of the country, he indicates, which is due to the fact that several companies have already joined together to install charging points.
Last week, the first fully public fast charger in Guatemala was inaugurated, and it is located in Interplaza Xela. This has a power of 120 kilowatts and can charge an electric vehicle up to 80% in half an hour.
Regarding the use of the battery and the sections that a traveler must travel in this type of vehicle, concerns have also been expressed by potential users. In this regard, Chacón explained that previously, when this technology began, they had autonomy for regarding 100 kilometers, but in Currently they are between 300 and 400 kilometers, there are even some cars that can have ranges of up to 600 kilometers on a single charge, said the Amegua executive.
He comments that Guatemala is ideal for electric mobility, because it is a small country, where from north to south it is regarding 440 kilometers and from east to west we have regarding 330 kilometers. Another advantage that he observes is the energy production in the country with a very high proportion of renewable energy per year, ranging from 70% to 80% percent.
In the case of batteries, he explains that they are not made of lead but of lithium, that is, their components are mostly without lithium and many valuable metals such as cobalt and nickel, and they are used on several occasions. For example, the second use is as energy storage, with solar projects, and when they degrade further, recycling is done.
“There are many recycling plants worldwide, for us the closest is in Costa Rica.” The procedure is that it separates the materials and can recycle up to 98% of these, which are resold for reuse, and can become an environmentally friendly business opportunity.
In other regions the adoption of electric vehicles is greater, something that will happen over time in Guatemala according to Chacón.
Those who are leading this transition are China and Europe. During the Mobility Congress conferences, the Norwegian case was learned where last year 85% of the sales of its new vehicles were electric. That is to say, 8 out of every 10 vehicles purchased were electric.
And, in Guatemala it has not yet reached 1%, since it is in a very primary stage, and is regarding 5 years behind Costa Rica, each country has a different pace of adoption, but progress is being made, indicated the president of Amegua.
Business use and recharging
The use of this type of automobile by different companies in the country also shows growth due to the benefits they achieve. Liry Navarre, commercial manager of Electron Power, explains that they started with commercial vehicles such as panels for last mile distribution and the availability of vehicle types such as a taller panel and the 4.3 ton truck has been increasing. These, he indicates, come with a larger battery with enough power to circulate.
He states that there are benefits in maintenance savings, fuel savings and all of this combined represents advantages for business costs.
Sergio Arévalo, general manager of Tres E, agreed that one of people’s fears is still recharging vehicles.
He states that the firm is dedicated to installing charging points for companies, restaurants, shopping centers, who use it for their vehicles but also offer that option to their clients, they also have a public charging network in which they charge for that service. to user.
It explains, among other details, that the electric vehicle is managed differently than the combustion vehicle, so normally the question is how much it should be recharged, but it happens the same as a mobile phone that is charged at night for regarding one now. And, when traveling, strategically located charging points are needed.
However, he said that there are already 100 public charging points, including in Poptún (Petén), Huehuetenango, Quiché, Escuintla, Esquipulas (Chiquimula), Jutiapa, Cocales (Suchitepéquez), apart from those already mentioned by Chacón.
The charge that the vehicle has must be checked, the route is reviewed and if there are chargers around the place, the charging is managed, and the other advantage that electric vehicles have is that they recharge the battery when braking, and in the case of Guatemala It has the advantage that on mountainous routes the vehicle recharges the battery, unlike a combustion vehicle.
They also report an economic advantage of 3 to 1, that is, for every Q100 gasoline that a combustion vehicle uses, only Q30 of electricity is spent, Arévalo assured. Maintenance is minimal and every 30 thousand kilometers, he adds.
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