While projects involving electric cargo transportation are not yet popular in all Latin American countries, nations such as Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Brazil, and Uruguay have taken action in this field.
It is worth noting the prominence of Asian brands in electric truck investments, mainly Chinese companies Zhongtong, Foton, and BYD.
Mobility Portal Latinoamérica conducts a survey of the most prominent announcements and initiatives in the region’s segment.
Electric trucks in Chile
An alliance between Brazilian manufacturer Randon and national mining company SQM brought the first fully electric semi-trailers and trucks for cargo transportation to Chile in Latin America.
This January, the company completed the delivery of units from the exclusive Hybrid R line, equipped with the innovative e-Sys auxiliary traction technology from Suspensys, for use in the transportation of mineral extraction processes in Chile.
Among the novelties of the operation is the development of an electric model of a tanker semi-trailer for the transportation of lithium brine and a dump truck for mineral transportation.
In the same vein, at the end of last year, Volvo launched its line of 100% electric heavy trucks in the country.
The new models Volvo FHE, Volvo FME, and Volvo FMXE feature technology, usability tests, and functionality.
Simultaneously, another achievement in the Chilean automotive market was the arrival of electric trucks from Mercedes-Benz, making it the first market in the region and the second nation outside of Europe to adopt this cutting-edge technology.
Hydrogen trucks in Brazil
Earlier this year, Quantron AG arrived in Brazil. The company plans to launch a 4.2-ton hydrogen truck in May and a 44-ton truck in September.
Additionally, the German company plans to start working this year with other countries in the region, such as Colombia and Chile, initially, and then Panama, Peru, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Argentina, Mexico, and Uruguay.
Electric trucks in Colombia
Last year, distributor Navitrans began trials at a cement plant in Bogotá with a four-axle electric mixer truck from Foton.
The performance of the 36-ton gross vehicle weight unit was such that the cement plant has now decided to purchase it along with numerous replicas of the same.
Simultaneously, BYD announced three new motor-driven cargo trucks for Colombia, two of which are already on sale.
The first is the BYD T45C01 truck, with a capacity of 3.6 tons and a range of about 220 kilometres. The second model on offer is the BYD T7BG, with a 230-kilometre range.
The remaining model, a BYD T10DSJ with over 250 kilometres of autonomy and a capacity of around 24 tons of cargo, is operating in a pilot project with Argos as a concrete mixer.
Electric trucks in Mexico
Last month, Daimler Truck announced that it will commercialize the first fully electric Freightliner unit with Transportes Esteban, which transports goods in the State of Mexico.
Meanwhile, in February 2023, Mexico City’s head of government, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced the production of heavy electric vehicles for public and cargo transportation. The process is being coordinated by her government, academia, and the private sector.
Simultaneously, MegaFlux CEO Roberto Gottfried Blackmore announced that his company plans to invoice 280 electric cargo trucks in Mexico.
Electric trucks in Panama
In April 2023, the Electric Mobility Chamber of Panama announced that it is designing a strategy aimed at offering economic incentives for electric trucks and buses.
Additionally, the Panamanian government incorporated an electric truck into its fleet for commercial distribution.
The pilot test had such favourable results that the short-term goal is to replicate the project, but with more units and in different circulation areas.
Electric trucks in Uruguay
Uruguayan firm Mobility announced last December the launch of Landking electric trucks, belonging to the Weichai group, projecting at least 100 sales for this year.
All models are suitable for interurban and highway transportation and have up to 300 kilometres of autonomy.
Read more: The Transport Committee promotes longer and heavier zero-emission trucks and buses
