Freight and last-mile transportation in the region face several barriers to the adoption of electric vehicles, including a lack of incentive policies and charging infrastructure.

Gabriela de la Torre Ríos, Regional Head of Vehicles and Remissions for Latin America at C40 , a network of cities promoting local climate action, also said there are irregularities in the adoption of these types of technologies.

“Not everyone is at the same stage of electrification. There are some companies or actors who are more ready to take that step or have already taken it, and they are facing some barriers, and there is another segment that is less aware of how to adopt this technology. Coordination with the federal and subnational governments is needed, and from there we start with a series of policies and incentives, financing mechanisms, and a whole framework that can accelerate the transition,” he said.

During his participation in the webinar Fleets of the Future: The Path to Sustainable Mobility, organized by Latam Mobility Mexico , he explained the lack of incentives and financial attractiveness to invest in this technology, as well as in charging infrastructure.

“We’ve encountered some challenges in terms of financing in several ways. We’ve encountered a lack of access to much more competitive rates. For small transporters, we’ve encountered a series of barriers, and I believe that’s where we can find policies, incentives, or strategies that require coordination,” he indicated.

Horacio de la Torre, general manager of Greenspace E-mobility , explained that costs are one of the biggest challenges facing the sector in fleet transition, and he agreed on the importance of infrastructure and support.

“If a company is willing to make that investment in heavy trucks, we see that today there is no infrastructure to even cover Mexico’s main cities, let alone internationally, since heavy transport is very common between Mexico and the United States and in the south,” he commented.

He also mentioned that the country’s road infrastructure is one of the main challenges. For example, from the port of Manzanillo or Lázaro Cárdenas to Mexico City, it’s approximately 800 kilometers, “and a modern truck can’t even reach the city, so we need that infrastructure.”

Therefore, he stated that they are working with governments to seek the necessary tax incentives to access this type of technology . They also aim to establish charging stations in Guadalajara, Monterrey, Mexico City, and in the north of the country, to name a few initiatives.

“Starting from the fact that there isn’t enough space and also not enough energy, we have to agree on how that organization will be in order to meet all the demand that may come from the different vehicle segments. We have been promoting some models where the city can establish the identification, for example, of public lands where investments in charging infrastructure can be made for companies that are dedicated to investing in this type of construction, but also be able to make it accessible for companies that want to electrify and so that those with the purchasing power don’t necessarily have to absorb all the costs of the investment,” he said.

Additionally, small transporters can generate resources from national development banks, as well as mechanisms such as bonds and access to loans with better conditions, among others.

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El cargo These are the challenges facing freight and last-mile transportation for the use of electric trucks. apareció primero en T21.

Latin America has the potential to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), however, barriers to growth remain, such as availability, cost, and a lack of public policies .

David Ortiz, Senior Fuel Manager at Aeroméxico , stated that Latin America has significant potential for biofuel development due to its wealth of natural resources and raw materials for its production.

He indicated that Brazil already has experience with ethanol production and the use of biofuels, while Mexico and Colombia are using technologies to generate its production.

“Our advantage as a Latin American country, as a Mexican country, is the availability of raw materials. The only challenge is being able to advance the regulatory and economic aspects that drive the projects. It’s a multidisciplinary work process, involving all ministries, associations, and industry, because otherwise, it won’t be a successful project,” he said during the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Outlook webinar in Mexico.

The specialist emphasized the need for incentives for the development of the SAF in order to secure investment.

Meanwhile, Diego Martínez del Río, Corporate Sustainability Manager at LATAM Airlines , said that one of the barriers to SAF is its high price , as this fuel represents between 30% and 40% of the cost structure.

In this regard, he commented that among the actions they are taking to remove these barriers is accessing scientific information for the creation of public policies, such as the study, carried out in conjunction with industry participants, to decarbonize the industry, specifically in six countries in the region, including Mexico.

“The study identified that, without a doubt, the country best suited to producing SAF in our region is Brazil, for a combination of different reasons. First, it has abundant biomass production capacity and a very mature biofuels industry. They have been producing biofuels successfully for over 40 years, and they have the raw materials and the know-how,” he emphasized.

Along these lines, he noted that Mexico has a very broad range of biomass resources, but it still lacks the experience to do so. “Beyond the public policies currently underway, what Mexico and the region in general need is evidence-based public policies, not necessarily rushing out and trying to do what Europe or the United States is doing.

He considered that the country needs more in-depth studies on the raw material , although the opportunity lies in the sugarcane industry for the generation of first- and second-generation SAF based on ethanol.

For his part, Mauricio Arellano, Senior Manager, Infrastructure & Airport Services at Viva Aerobus , indicated that in Mexico it is necessary to strengthen the regulatory framework, which will allow both socially and economically to generate strengths for meeting the 2050 goals in the use of SAF.

“In the country, demand is around five billion liters; we hope to become the second largest consumer of jet fuel,” he explained.

Diana Olivares, second vice president of the National Chamber of Air Transport (Canaero) , said that the organization is working on a roadmap that is “ad hoc” to the region and costs.

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El cargo Latin America has the potential to produce SAF; its development needs to be promoted. apareció primero en T21.