Dhemax has a global presence, with offices in Chile, Colombia, and Spain, and a philosophy based on “growing the fleet from the seed.”
Variety is a component that reigns when viewing its catalog of projects that already has ten years of experience…
Milestones such as the “El Conquistador” garage (Chile) contribute to CEO Andrés Barentin‘s confirmation that he is handling the ideal “eMobility” equation for transformation.
And this is not all, since it ensures that this does not vary depending on the city, country or continent where it is executed.
“The challenges are the same in any market. One tends to segment, but the development itself does not change when we talk about electromobility projects. The key is to understand the operation,” he says.
The Chilean technological development and integration company, which is highly focused on IoT, reviews the “challenges” that usually arise.
The first step? Evaluate the foundations on which the operation of vehicles is based.
From Barentin’s perspective, the starting point is to review the foundations, a “key” to improving efficiency and profitability.
With this clear, one can move on to analyse the CAPEX, a step where Dhemax’s CEO does not hesitate:
“Anyone who doesn’t consider total cost of ownership in a project may find it a bit nebulous. It is advisable to take this concept, review it and give it a spin to achieve ideal and competitive data.”
Transitioning a fleet from combustion cars, buses or trucks to electric is not a simple task, much less economical, and this last aspect increases when talking about the European panorama.
“The costs here are a little higher than when we started an operation in Latin America,” Andrés Barentin mentions as something to take into account.
That is why at this point the CAPEX must be equaled, brought closer and even reduced to what it was previously.
How to do it? Identifying all the variables that will modify the operation.
Carrying out simulations, starting the vehicles, testing their recharging and submitting them to different external actors will allow obtaining data that leads to generating an “ideal projection and operation.”
This goes a little further.
Various charging formats, varieties of eMobility models, as well as possibilities of aid and subsidies must be evaluated, which help ensure that the transition ends up being a success in financial terms and durability.
Now, Dhemax‘s final challenge remains, as its CEO says:
“Something that is complex but that must also be considered is making drivers understand that they are no longer driving a combustion model.”
When electric vehicles brake, they generate energy, the famous “regenerative braking”, something that models known for more than 100 years do not do.
Zero-emission units have charging systems that require advance planning, and the differences can continue.
But the fundamental thing in this stage of the process is to define “adequate training”, as well as an “incentive” linked to the effectiveness of the use of these segments.
Dhemax and responsibility as a standard
Spain is one of the markets where the company specialized in electromobility is operating and where it is registering some specific peculiarities.
“Here we are looking to generate quick projects so as not to lose the available subsidies. Sometimes we commit the sin of completing initiatives not thought of from responsibility,” suggests Barentin in dialogue with this Portal.
In 2023, the Ministry of Transport provided some 1,500 million euros to finance 1,064 actions aimed at decarbonizing and digitalizing urban mobility, with the acquisition of 1,024 zero-emission buses, among other actions.
Different public and private entities launched the funds, but along the way many could not receive approval due to lack of knowledge.
Meanwhile, others awarded awards, were able to execute their projects optimally, and some made investments that did not end well.
Given this scenario, Dhemax positions itself as an actor that seeks to foresee these situations.
“City councils should opt for partners like us to help review these proposals,” he suggests.
Two possible scenarios open up here.
On the one hand, the firm in charge of Barentin can address an initiative around electrification that has already begun its process.
There the specialists evaluate the operation and propose a restructuring, maintaining as much as possible of what was executed, in a certain way trying to “save everything possible.”
But they also usually start their projection from scratch, when they capture initiatives where they can provide a 360-degree process, ranging from the design, start-up and operation of a 100 per cent electric fleet.
In this sense, it has recently entered into an alliance to work with evectra, a Spanish engineering company focused on eMobility, in this sense.
Together, the aim is to achieve synergy between the expertise exported by Dhemax from Latin America and Evectra from the European perspective.
