Sales of eco-friendly vehicles grow in Ecuador

An eco-friendly car is one that works totally or partially with propellers that need electrical energy to start up, instead of other types of fuels from natural resources.

Institutions, vehicle manufacturers and society in general have been becoming aware of the need to seek other ecological alternatives to the mobility option that has always existed.

Andrés Cordero, Marketing Manager of Nissan in Ecuador, mentions that the Japanese brand is one of the pioneers in the study and development of issues related to electromobility, its first electric vehicle prototype being the Tama model in 1947. After several years of constant research in 2010 presented the first generation of the Nissan Leaf, which was the first 100% electric model of mass commercialization in the world, which was also presented in our country and together with its second generation in 2017 exceeds 600,000 units sold in the world.

Electric cars could be an option given the increase in the price of gasoline, but how much do they cost? Who can access them?

Meanwhile, Hyundai, one of the best-selling brands in the country, in Ecuador since 2015 added the first HEV model (hybrid electric vehicle) to its portfolio with the Hyundai Sonata HEV, in 2016 the Ioniq HEV model was incorporated, in 2021 presented the Kona HEV model and for this year there is the first electric SUV model, the Kona EV.

Héctor Quirós, Marketing Manager of Hyundai Ecuador, mentions that the main advantage of a hybrid car, compared to a combustion car, is its motorization. “The hybrid car uses two engines, one electric and the other combustion, having these two engines, in the case of Hyundai models these two engines are combined when driving it, which constitutes a saving in fuel for the customer” , He says.

Autoshow will have twice as much space for hybrid vehicles, which in the first five-month period registered a 162% increase in sales

The executive of the South Korean firm adds that another advantage is the equipment. “Hybrid or electric cars come much more equipped, in addition to having a more daring design and better performance. The issue of safety and comfort is also a notable advantage compared to combustion models; hybrid or electric cars have more airbags and more interior space. And as an ecological advantage, hybrid or electric cars generate less pollution to the environment”.

Hybrid vehicle maintenance

Quirós says that for all vehicles from 2022 maintenance is every 7,500 km. The checks include changing the oil and filter of the combustion engine, checking the levels and status of the low and high voltage electrical systems, monitoring the status of the high voltage battery, and updating control systems.

Sale of hybrid vehicles

electric vehicle maintenance

Since an electric vehicle has fewer moving parts in the engine, it considerably reduces or eliminates the number of parts that generate wear, such as spark plugs, filters, bands, oil, etc., says Cordero. This translates into a lower maintenance cost, since generally the check must be carried out every 10,000 kilometers. The executive emphasizes that there are components that eventually need to be replaced as in any vehicle, for example tires, brake fluid, among others, while the batteries are checked at each maintenance to ensure their correct operation. (YO)

Sale of electric vehicles