Between January and October of this year, 6,130 hybrid and electric cars in Ecuadoran amount that is part of the 102,383 new light trucks sold in the indicated period.
The number already exceeds the 4,628 hybrid and electric vehicles that hit the national market throughout last year.
The number of electric cars sold between January and October of this year is 303 plus 5,827 hybrids in the same period.
The higher price of these automobiles compared to those that exclusively use fossil fuels (gasoline or diesel) is one of the factors that influences the fact that their market share is still low.
The average value of electric cars sold between January and September of this year is $47,295, a higher value than previous years.
Only in 2021 was there a reduction in the average cost of this type of vehicle, going from $42,071 in 2020 to $37,833 last year, according to figures from the Association of Automotive Companies of Ecuador (Aeade).
There is a greater supply of electric cars. The economic one that has the most output is the ZHIDOU D1 whose value is $8,690 with a range of up to 100 km after a six-hour charge.
Another popular option is KIA SOUL that costs $30,990 with a range of 200 km.
A more accelerated conversion of the national vehicle fleet towards cars that are friendly to the environment because they use electricity to move and not fossil fuels is still waiting.
However, Genaro Baldeón, executive president of Aeade, affirms that there is an interesting participation of these vehicles that apply new technologies in the national market. Its participation so far this year is 6% of the total sale of new light cars.
“More electrified vehicles are sold in Ecuador, which includes electric and hybrid vehicles, than in Chile, despite the fact that the latter country has a car sales market almost four times larger than the Ecuadorian one.. This year we could have a 7% share in the sales of these with new technologies in the country only taking into account the light ones”.
In addition, there are efforts from the private sector such as that of the company DHL Ecuador (transnational company of German origin dedicated to the courier service) that plans to renew its fleet and make it mostly electric.
Edith Villavicencio, manager of DHL Express in Ecuador, indicates that they have a roadmap for environmental sustainability regarding the 40 years of this firm in the country. “We intend to close this year with 30% of the fleet with electric cars including motorcycles, cars and other alternative vehicles such as bicycles. We already have three units purchased”.
The goal for 2026 is that 80% of the fleet is electric with zero carbon emissions after an investment of two million euros (2.1 million dollars). With these trucks, packages and documents are distributed in Quito and Guayaquil with door-to-door service, including the import process on behalf of the client. “More than 90% of the cargo goes on its own flights (of DHL) and commercial routes are used as an exception,” says Villavicencio.
The investment includes the installation of charging stations within the DHL facilities in Quito and Guayaquil, in order to facilitate the movement of the fleet in a daily work day. They are expected to be ready during the first quarter of 2023.
“The removal of a fossil combustion vehicle is equivalent to ten tons of co2 (carbon dioxide) per year, 250 trees would be needed to absorb all these emissions, hence the positive impact of removing it from circulation by replacing it with a clean energy one”, indicates.
Covering the routes between the country’s cities will require a greater supply of electric trucks to carry out these transfers, says Villavicencio, as well as the installation of charging stations at strategic points on the routes.
Electric and hybrid cars use various types of technology that are mainly summarized in three.
The first corresponds to the 100% electric battery known by the acronym BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), those that need to be plugged in and charged from an external power source after reaching a certain autonomy. These have zero emission, but “they still have limitations in our country when going from one place to another, because they need to be charged,” says Baldeón, and there are not enough charging points available.
Its participation in the electrified car market is negligible precisely because of the limitation of moving between one city and another because the infrastructure of charging stations is needed.
The second technology is known by the acronym PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) that includes hybrids that can run either with the electric motor that needs to be plugged in and charged or with the fossil combustion one, are plug-in hybrids.
The third is known by the acronym HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), the most sold and popular in Ecuador and which includes hybrids that move alternately with the electric motor that does not require plugging and charging and the fossil fuel that consumes less fuel precisely due to this combination. “These work with battery regeneration and fuel because they have a combustion engine and several electric ones,” says Baldeón.
There is a cost difference between these three technologies. “An electric one that provides a range of 300 kilometers or more has a much more expensive battery and the final price of the vehicle is higher compared to plug-in hybrids. Usually conventional hybrids that do not need to be plugged in are the least expensive”.
In general, he adds, hybrids consume less fossil fuel than one that is exclusively combustion. “There are some that can travel up to 100 kilometers per gallon. In these when one is at a traffic light the combustion engine is off, the same when starting, the electric motor works there. In the cities, the greatest consumption occurs at starts, at traffic lights, then the savings are evident”.
The latest sustainable mobility report from last October places Ecuador in the fourth country in the region where vehicles with these new technologies are sold the most, only surpassed by Brazil, Mexico and Colombia and above Argentina, Chile, Peru, Paraguay and Venezuela.
The document states that in the country there are 82 charging points (electrolineras) distributed in Guayaquil, Quito, Ambato, Cuenca, Loja, Azogues, Atacames, Puerto Ayora and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
There is an increase from 2021 in the two types of automobiles, since the electric ones sold in 2019 and 2020 were 103 and 106 in each of those years and the number tripled and rose to 348 in 2021.
A similar situation occurred in hybrids with 1,415 and 1,148 sold in 2019 and 2020, but the total sold rose to 4,280 in 2021.
What tax payment are electric and hybrid vehicles exempt from in Ecuador?
The regulations indicate that electric vehicles pay 0% value added tax (VAT) and are exempt from the collection of special consumption tax (ICE). They also do not pay import duties, including chargers for charging stations, batteries and chargers.
In addition, the electric charging service for recharging all types of 100% electric vehicles is taxed with 0% VAT.
In the case of hybrids, those with a capacity of up to 2,000 cubic centimeters (cc) do not pay import duties and all types are also exempt from ICE.
Hybrids from 2,001 cc to 3,000 cc pay 10% tariffs, from 3,001 cc to 4,000 cc pay 20% and those with a capacity greater than 4,000 cc then 35%. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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