The Ministry of Mines and Energy of Colombia (MEM) is taking steps to accelerate the energy transition, focusing on the reindustrialization of electric mobility through local production and workforce conversion.
This was announced by Laura Vasquez Pérez, Transport Advisor at MEM, at the 1st Energy Transition Congress organized by the National Council of Electrical Technicians.
“The Colombian Government aims to implement strategies, measures, and public policies to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels due to deteriorating air quality,” she explains.
The actions are aimed at exploiting Colombia’s potential to produce and export new electric vehicles.
The country already has eight assembly plants and over 300 companies dedicated to the production of auto parts and bodies.
“We want the Colombian industry to compete within the market and meet national and international standards,” she mentions regarding the objective of actions aiming to popularize electromobility.
Firstly, they are working on the regulation and standardization of electromobility elements.
This includes the interoperability of charging infrastructure, standardization of connectors for public transportation systems, and analysis of regulatory impacts for conversion.
It is worth noting that the country’s goal is to reach 600,000 electric vehicles by 2030, and promoting the value chain of the automotive sector accelerates the process.
Simultaneously, they are promoting the deployment of charging stations and electro-fuel stations through a 2024-2026 Master Plan for Charging Infrastructure.
In this regard, they aim to develop a charging infrastructure platform for electric vehicles and a financial mechanism for its deployment.
They also aim to electrify river transportation with electrified docks and e-motors, along with the electrification of two to three-wheeled vehicles.
How does the Government plan to popularize electric mobility?
“We need incentives for the local value chain (producers, manufacturers, and startups) and to start with pilots that incentivize the national industry and small manufacturers,” explains the Transport Advisor.
The reindustrialization of the automotive sector covers the entire chain of electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, auto parts, spare parts, and batteries.
This includes the standardization of production processes, assembly, manufacturing, and retrofitting, along with workforce and productive conversion towards green jobs aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“All these initiatives must be supported by public policies, regulation, and norms that we launch from the Ministry of Mines and Energy,” she anticipates.
And she adds, “Technology is advancing very quickly, but the price is not decreasing. That’s what we need.”
How did electric vehicle sales start in Colombia?
The latest monthly data from the National Association of Sustainable Mobility (ANDEMOS) detail that there were 3,685 electrified vehicle sales registered.
Regarding electric vehicles, 396 vehicles were registered sold, with a year-on-year variation of 20.4 per cent.
In the case of plug-in hybrids, 151 were sold throughout the month, with a year-on-year variation of 25.8 per cent.
Nevertheless, non-plug-in hybrids continue to lead sales with 3,138 units and an increase of 53.1 per cent, compared to the same period last year.
These statistics demonstrate the growing inclination of Colombian consumers towards more sustainable technologies in the automotive market, considering that the established benchmark in January 2024 was 217 zero-emission vehicles.
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