Infrastructure, energy supply and establishing a strategic alliance with governments are part of the challenges for the electrification of heavy and public transport, agreed sector participants.
Luz Elena Jurado, North America Plant Project Controller at Volvo Group Mexico , considered that the auto transport sector faces the most significant challenge in passenger transport.
“When we talk about moving society, the government is more sensitive and willing to reach a negotiation, but where do you find a subsidy for a freight carrier? When a company says it requires clean technology, but you don’t increase my rate, maybe I’ll pay you 10% more, but the investment in a tractor-trailer is much higher if you’re talking about an electric one. If you get a good rate, you need something to lower the cost,” he explained.
He commented that there are countries that have successfully developed these technologies; for example, in the United States they received funding of 208 million dollars to produce more electric trucks and make modifications to their plant.
While in Europe the main challenge is to create a network of chargers, they created a synergy with their competitors to speed up the installation of this device.
“That gives us a reference for what we can do in Mexico to speed things up. Of course, that agreement is in Europe and we are still competitors, but we will have to see how we can customize it to make it faster,” he explained.
He also explained that they are working on a series of actions with a partner to give batteries a second use, such as solar panels for private homes, and with governments to promote the electrification of transport.
For Jesús Padilla, CEO of Grupo CISA, an urban transport company that currently operates around 2,400 units with three brands of electric vehicles, he explained that the main challenge is the massification of public and private transport.
The understanding of the authorities in the country is also required to build a clear policy , financing and subsidy schemes, “which is not happening.”
“We are calling on the authorities and this type of dialogue should involve the National Finance Agency, the National Infrastructure Fund, Banobras, and the Treasury, talking to us about the financial part,” he said during the panel Electrification of public transport and heavy transport: Clean energy and accessibility at the Mobility Summit.
Eduardo Sánchez, general director of the Nuevo León Renewable Energy Agency , commented that financing for this type of project and promoting consumption will be key.
“The synergy at both the state and country level and with international organizations to seek and lower those financing funds so that the same projects that are being proposed can see the light,” he said.
Rafael Burgos, head of Enel X Mexico, said that they have identified different challenges, some focused on the technical part , such as the availability of the recharging network and evaluating the best location for electric charging stations.
He also considered that the same companies, especially those focused on last-mile transport, have implemented their own stations, but what would happen if they were opened to public transport?
“What happens if these electric stations are opened to general service, including for tractor-trailers? Although there is already talk of what type of regulation will be, how can it be done because at this time in Mexico the sale of energy and its use for this type of application is permitted. We have to work on these types of rules in order to be able to open it to the public and work closely with the regulatory entities and bodies to be able to open this type of installation in different parts of the Republic and with different uses,” he said.
In this regard, the specialists gave their opinions on the changes in energy laws, which require an analysis table to discuss, among other issues, a national strategy for the electrification of transport , as well as distributed generation to have a nearby supply, energy storage.
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