Madrid, December 12, 2019. The findings and recommendations of the third edition of the regional report on electric mobility in Latin America
and the Caribbean were presented this Thursday at the Conference of the Parties (COP25), in an event organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment), the European Union's EUROCLIMA+ Programme, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Spanish multinational company Acciona.
The report seeks to provide a comprehensive description of the status of progress on electric mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean. In this sense, one of the first points highlighted in the document is that more and more countries and cities in the region are developing a legal and regulatory framework for the promotion of electric mobility.
Although electrification of public transport in most countries is in a pilot phase, in other countries it is already in an incipient phase of deployment, with this the segment that is being electrified at the highest rate. Public policy makers continue to encourage the transition to zero-emission public transport. Improved financial viability of electric buses, as well as growing concerns about the health and environmental impacts of emissions from combustion vehicles in cities, are the main drivers of this transition. In addition, other transport segments that are beginning to be electrified in the region are official fleets, fleets for the distribution or transport of cargo and goods, as well as public sanitation. For the most part, they consist of pilot projects to evaluate the performance of the technology for subsequent up-scaling.
Although recharging infrastructure continues to be one of the main barriers to the deployment of electric mobility in the region, multiple initiatives have been identified for the implementation of this type of infrastructure, such as the creation of electric corridors.
This study shows that electric mobility is a reality and that it is beginning to take hold in the countries and cities of Latin America and the Caribbean. The different countries of the region have multiple possibilities for undertaking the transition to cleaner mobility.
The document that will be published in the next few days highlights, “The region has enormous potential for development, which transcends the transport sector. Electric mobility brings integrated benefits in the rational use of energy, in the quality of air that is breathed in urban centres, in the climate action measures that are attempting to meet the commitments acquired by the countries under the Paris Agreement, and it can be a new driver of economic development for the region.”
The representative of the European Union (EU), Felice Zaccheo, stressed in his speech that electric vehicles can significantly reduce the adverse environmental effects of internal combustion vehicles, which is why the EU considers it important to invest in experience exchanges, technical capacity building and development of a portfolio of projects in Latin America and the Caribbean to achieve the region's energy transition.
"From the EUROCLIMA+ Programme we have supported the development of strategies and analyses oriented toward results and technical studies, which has resulted in two reports on the status of electric mobility (including the one presented today) and the presentation of national electric mobility strategies in Colombia, Panama (launched) and Argentina (under development)", highlighted Zaccheo.
Civil society associations such as the Latin American Association for Sustainable Mobility (ALAMOS) and the Centre for Urban Sustainability (CPSU) participated in this edition. This allowed the report to be developed with a "bottom-up" approach that reflects the leadership and empowerment of citizens in the development of electric mobility.
About EUROCLIMA+
EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union to promote environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient development in 18 Latin American countries, particularly for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations. The Programme is implemented under the synergistic work of seven agencies: Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), French Development Agency (AFD), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), the German society for international cooperation (GIZ), and UN Environment.