The map of charging points for electric vehicles in Colombia, provided by Giro Zero, reveals a clear concentration in Antioquia and Bogotá.
The department of Antioquia, where Medellín is located, has 107 chargers and 151 connectors, while the Colombian capital has 84 chargers and 100 connectors.
Compared to other regions of Colombia, which have far fewer charging points, these areas are the heart of the infrastructure, representing a challenge for the transition to heavy electric trucks that travel across the country and require significant energy demands to complete their journeys.
The adoption of electric freight transport vehicles in the country remains extremely low. The numbers are clear: less than 0.05% in 2021 and only 0.02% of sales in 2022.
In fact, according to the latest report from the National Association for Sustainable Mobility (ANDEMOS), 35 fully electric trucks and articulated trucks were sold in Colombia this year.
Of these, 30 are trucks with a load capacity of less than 10.5 tonnes, 4 have a greater capacity, and one is an articulated truck.
Stark is the best-selling brand, followed by Foton, JAC, JMC, BYD, and Qingling.
Moreover, many regions and departments, such as Bolívar, Magdalena, Huila, Boyacá, Risaralda, Caldas, and Meta, still lack adequate infrastructure to support the charging of heavy electric trucks. Most have only 1 or 2 electric chargers available.
This explains why the lack of an adequate supply of charging stations in major road corridors and logistics hubs hinders the adoption of electric trucks and other zero-emission technologies for distances greater than 350 kilometres.
High Installation Costs and Lack of Charger Standardisation
While the National Government of Colombia promotes initiatives like the National Development Plan 2022-2026 and the creation of a new fund for the promotion of technological advancement in electromobility, these measures do not have sufficient impact to meet international emission reduction commitments and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Specifically, companies involved in charging infrastructure or providing these services identify two barriers: the lack of a specific transport model and the cost of installation and standardisation.
The first barrier arises because there is no freight transport model in the country that allows for decisions to be made, based on data from corridor use and fleet renewal, about where charging stations should be located, how many chargers are needed, and which routes should be prioritised.
The second barrier is the high installation costs of chargers and the lack of standardisation among chargers.
Incentives for the Private and Electric Sectors to Make a Political Decision
Giro Zero, a network working on the roadmap towards zero emissions in Colombia, proposes a five-stage model for prioritising terrestrial freight transport corridors (TAC) for electric charging infrastructure.
Firstly, it suggests prioritising regions for the electrification of freight transport. It identifies a cluster consisting of Bogotá D.C, Cundinamarca, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Bolívar, Atlántico, and Santander.
Next, the model moves to the implementation phases of electrification between prioritised regions. At this stage, it indicates the progress of cities for expansion, taking the Yumbo-Bogotá route as an example.
The model establishes five phases, each with a five-year implementation period in both directions of the route.
The third step involves locating charging stations in the implementation phases. It proposes placing charging stations in 15 locations that ensure compliance with technical restrictions and international guidelines.
Regarding the characterisation of the charging stations, they are defined according to charging time, charging units, the amount of energy delivered per hour, and the maximum power per station.
Finally, concerning the proposal for electrical infrastructure provisioning, a map shows the progression of server installation along the Valle-Bogotá route, ensuring that demand and the charging capacity of the stations converge.
All these proposals were developed by the Department of National Planning (DNP), the Ministry of Transport (MT), the National Association of Industrialists (ANDI), the Colombian Federation of Road Freight Transporters (COLFECAR), and the National Federation of Merchants (FENALCO).
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