The decarbonization of the automotive industry is beginning to extend beyond electric vehicles and reach a less visible part of the supply chain: the logistics required to transport cars and spare parts. In Mexico, Mitsubishi Motors has begun modifying its import and distribution operations with the goal of reducing transportation-related emissions.
Ricardo Hernández, Logistics Director of Mitsubishi in Mexico, explained during his participation in the Mexico’s Nearshoring & Logistics Auto Industry Summit that the automaker’s environmental strategy is not only focused on the electrification of its vehicles, but also incorporates the production and transportation processes behind their marketing.
The challenge has a particularly relevant dimension for the company. According to the executive, around 80% of Mitsubishi Motors’ global logistics emissions are related to the maritime movement of vehicles and containers with auto parts.
“To move cars, of all Mitsubishi Motors’ global emissions , practically 80% is from the movement of vehicles or containers that come in auto parts moved by sea,” Hernández pointed out.
This component is complemented by ground transportation, which involves car carriers for moving finished vehicles and various truck configurations for distributing goods. Given this scenario, Mitsubishi aims to achieve a turning point by 2030 in reducing the environmental footprint associated with these operations.
In Mexico, one of the first decisions was made directly regarding the configuration of its logistics chain . The distribution of imported spare parts, which previously used the port of Manzanillo, was moved to Lázaro Cárdenas to reduce the distance that subsequently had to be covered by road.
“Our parts distribution originally went to Manzanillo, but we moved it to the port of Lázaro Cárdenas. Why? Because it saves us 250 kilometers of land route , and that benefits us in terms of the tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide) we emit per year,” he explained.
Reducing highway mileage is only one part of the strategy. Mitsubishi is also working with its main carriers on technological alternatives to decrease emissions from the vehicles used in their ground operations.
Among the options currently under analysis are units powered by liquefied gas and electric units . Hernández noted that some carriers are already conducting pilot tests, particularly on short routes where operating conditions allow for the initial incorporation of these technologies.
“Right now there are many companies that are already doing their first pilot programs; on short routes, routes of 200 kilometers , they can be doing their circuits without any problem and normally they load the truck at night,” he commented.
However, transferring these solutions to long-haul operations presents a considerable challenge. For a vehicle importing company, Lázaro Cárdenas serves as a strategic gateway , but from there the vehicles must be transported to markets located thousands of kilometers away.
Hernández himself exemplified that a delivery from this Michoacán port to Mexicali involves traveling approximately 2,300 kilometers, a distance that still hinders the use of electric technologies under the current schemes of autonomy and infrastructure.
This condition requires that the transition to lower-emission land transport proceed in a differentiated manner: first through circuits where distances and operating cycles allow for the incorporation of new technologies and, subsequently, towards longer-range routes.
For Mitsubishi, this transformation is part of a broader vision for decarbonizing the automotive industry . The electric vehicle may be the most visible component of that transition, but reducing the environmental footprint also requires reviewing how cars, auto parts, and spare parts are transported from their origin to the consumer.
“All the processes behind getting them to the end consumer must also be supported by a green mindset and trend, of how to reduce our carbon footprint ,” Hernández stated.
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