Worldwide sales of electric cars increased by 25% year-on-year during the first quarter of this year, while in Uruguay In 2023 its sales skyrocketed by 80.92%. With this, it is unavoidable to infer that the business of electric cars It is increasingly positioned in both the local and international markets.
However, being a developing sector, there are some issues that still need to be resolved so that they can begin to compete with automobiles at fossil fuel. One of them has to do with the cost of the vehicle, especially in the country where prices average $35,000 among the 32 available models that are available.
Although fuel costs for electric vehicle users are practically zero, the investment required to purchase this type of vehicle is very large for those people who do not use the car hard.
“It depends a lot on the use, the ‘heavy users’ of electric cars are people who work with Uber or are taxi drivers, also some companies that use these cars as a promotional plan to be able to discount the value of IRAE”he explained Juan Miguel Santalla Talvi advisor to the Automotive Trade Association of Uruguay (ACAU) to Ambit.
The main obstacle: insurance
Regarding the use that these types of vehicles are given, Santalla Talvi highlights that the main problem that vehicles have electric cars – and one of the explanations why the common citizen does not buy them – is the value of the insurance.
As he was able to find out Ambit, Insurance values can double, going from 60,000 pesos for a common car to 100,000 for a benefit for electric vehicles for a total service.
“The biggest obstacle that electric cars have today to position themselves in the market is insurance, it is very expensive if you do not use the vehicle heavily on a daily basis,” he explained. With this, the vehicles used for work end up amortizing this expense with the savings in fuel costs. However, the common citizen perceives it as a very large investment for everyday use.
A point in favor: its load
Fossil fuel is a limited resource and Uruguay has one of the highest values of Latin America. With this, and with the public policies and benefits on the part of the government and the National Administration of Power Plants and Electrical Transmissions (UTE)charging for electric vehicles is becoming more and more tempting.
The latest achievement by UTE was the incorporation of a total of 300 chargers throughout Uruguay, achieving at least one position every 50 kilometers, which allows the total autonomy of the vehicles if they intend to travel throughout the country.
Another of the benefits announced by UTE Last year it was the refund of $4,048 plus VAT to all people who purchase an electric vehicle charger and install them at the residence level. A measure that was also included in the state company’s 2024 plan.
Uruguay, at the forefront
The advisor of ACAU He highlighted that the country has a historic opportunity to position itself as a benchmark for electric cars. “Uruguay Today it has the historic possibility at a global level that, if today the entire vehicle fleet runs on fossil fuel and changes them to electric ones, the electrical matrix can power them all,” he assured.
“Currently, Uruguay is at the forefront for two things: the first is because it is a small country, so the distances are small and these types of cars are functional. This also made logistics for shippers much simpler. Secondly, it was the change in the energy matrix where 90% is fed to renewable resources,” he explained.
In that sense, he stressed that there is a need for some legislation that allows subsidizing insurance and seeking the opportunity for all citizens to turn towards electric cars. “Those are the state policies that make a technology advance and develop,” he remarked.
Source: Ambito
