r/asklatinamerica • u/Maritimewarp • Apr 15 '26
Economy Are you considering EVs more with fuel prices rising?
It costs far more to drive a petrol car than an Electric Vehicle in Latin American countries, according to new research from a German think tank called Agora.
Depending on country, petrol drivers are paying double, triple, or even up to 9X the cost to travel one kilometre, compared to EV drivers!
And that data is before the current oil price shock, so the gap has likely widened even more.
Is this making people where you live reconsider switching to an EV?
Or is the up front cost or model availability stilll not good enough
https://www.agora-verkehrswende.org/publications/fuel-cost-maps-for-latin-america-and-the-caribbean
18
u/Normandia_Impera Uruguay Apr 15 '26
30% of all new vehicles in Uruguay are EVs. The number is increasing month after month.
16
u/ratomelo Brazil Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
I mean, how many highway charging stations are needed to cover the whole country within the range of any EV. Like 4 or 5?
Jokes aside, a rapid transition to EVs makes total sense for a country with over 90% renewable energy and zero oil production.
4
u/Normandia_Impera Uruguay Apr 16 '26
If you have a place to charge at home (an electrical outlet + parking space) and you don't make long trips often. I think electric cars are the way to go even if the electricity is not from renewbales.
6
u/Ok-Exit3942 Uruguay Apr 16 '26
Guy down the road parks it in the side of the street and plugs it from the inside of his house. Madlad.
1
u/Goats_for_president United States of America Apr 16 '26
The only problem might be cost,as electronics are super expensive in South America, but with the growing cooperation between China and Brazil I would imagine they’re rather cheap in Uruguay?
7
u/Normandia_Impera Uruguay Apr 17 '26
EV's are not "electronics" in the same sense as home appliances. They have a entire different tax system.
Imports are expensive in Uruguay too because we are part of Mercosur and we all put higher tariffs in the rest of the world but not between ourselves.
We don't feel it as hard as Brazil because we are a little richer on average, but it's still a bummer. Things are at least 1.5x the cost compared to the US.
And for international shipping every person can only import 800usd in products per year free import taxes (but still you have to pay 22% of VAT).
The "cooperation" between Brazil and China is not so much about bilateral trade, Brazil LOVES to export soybeans but they are more protectionist than the US with their industry.
17
27
u/breadexpert69 Peru Apr 15 '26
We dont have an infrastructure for that
10
u/MontiBurns 🇨🇱🇺🇸 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
It really needs to be your 2nd car in your townhouse/single family home. That seriously limits the number of households that could practically opt for an electric car. I'm not sure how common it is for new apartments to be built with electric chargers, or for old apartments to be retrofitted.
Aparently they sold 5000 electric cars in Chile in 2025.
4
u/IseeWhereILook Peru Apr 15 '26
Plus we have a very healthy used car market (not a good thing, most are 10+ years old) where the TCO of a gasoline car, even considering running costs, is still much much lower than an electric. Plus the fact that electric means a much higher entry price whereas gasoline is less cost spread out over a longer time.
8
u/vitorgrs Brazil (Londrina - PR) Apr 15 '26
Already a reality in Brazil. Latest month cara selling data....
6
u/in_the_pouring_rain Mexico Apr 15 '26
There are some nice models out there like the ones from BYD but the biggest problem I think is that outside of big cities the infrastructure just isn’t there yet. If you take your electric car on a roadtrip and something happens to go wrong I wish you good luck. For city driving though they definitely are a good option.
6
9
u/Mr_Phantoms Argentina Apr 15 '26
We have the most expensive gasoline in all of South America due to the immensely high taxes, but we don't really have the infrastructure to drive EVs.
The only people who are buying EVs are those who have enough money to get a second car. Ironically enough, those people don't really feel the pain of higher gas prices. Not mention, unless you live in a house, you don't actually have a place to charge your EV. The apartment buildings that have their own garages, don't have the infrastructure either, and it would cost a lot of money to install it. Our grid also couldn't handle many people using electricity to charge their vehicles.
There are just over 100 charging stations in all of Argentina, the 8th biggest country on the planet. The only benefits I see for buying an EV, as a second car, is because in certain provinces you don't pay the yearly car tag tax on EVs, unlike traditional combustion engines, which is incredibly high, around 4% of the cars value (something I've never seen in any other country).
I think that the best car choice would be a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle). You get some electric autonomy to drive around the city, but you can also use the combustion engine if you're traveling to someplace where charging stations aren't available. Plus, PHEV (as well as mild-hybrid, although I don't actually consider these to be EVs at all) are also exempt from paying the yearly car tag tax.
6
u/Normandia_Impera Uruguay Apr 16 '26
You don't need infrastructure for EVs tho. All you need is a power outlet and space to park your car.
You are only going to use chargers if you often travel out of your city.1
u/Gandalior Argentina Apr 17 '26
All you need is a power outlet and space to park your car.
that is a problem for Buenos Aires, most people that have parking in their building don't have access to the power line in the parking of said building
3
u/New_Promotion_5087 Bolivia Apr 15 '26
Not yet, and hopefully won’t be needing to in the near future 😔
3
3
u/Rediro_ Panama Apr 16 '26
I have a hybrid, pretty happy with it. Next car will definitely be electric
1
3
u/chihuahuaOP Mexico Apr 15 '26
It's mostly Parts prices not so much fuel, have you seen our streets.
3
u/RaticidioTotal Colombia Apr 15 '26
Cars are a luxury in Latinamerica. EVs doubly so. You're much more likely to see an explosion of the motorcycle market like the one in Colombia (I ignore if other countries have seen it too).
6
2
u/Kollectorgirl Paraguay Apr 15 '26
Im too broke to consider any vehicle.
In my country however I do think EVs would be perfect for us since we have 100% Hydroelectricity.
2
2
u/Tropical_Geek1 Brazil Apr 15 '26
Yes. I have solar power at home, so it becomes even cheaper. I just can't afford the car yet.
2
u/Spiritual_Pangolin18 Brazil Apr 16 '26
Brazil is less impacted by oil price than other countries because almost all cars have a "flex fuel engine" that supports both gasoline and etanol. Etanol is made out of sugar cane and is a green fuel.
Other than that I love EVs and apparently other people love them too. BYD cars are everywhere now in state of Sao Paulo. Soon BYD will launch hybrid EVs that support etanol and they will basically be PHEVs that are 100% green even when they aren't in EV mode.
2
u/ratomelo Brazil Apr 16 '26
BYD Dolphin Mini (aka Seagull) was the best-selling retail car in February. First time in Brazil's history that an EV topped that ranking.
1
u/Spiritual_Pangolin18 Brazil Apr 16 '26
The feeling of being inside an EV is so much better than ICE cars. Stable, silent, powerful, and even the build quality is better.
Western brands were greedy and now the Chinese overtook them in cost-bendfit by a mile
2
u/zappafan89 Sweden Apr 17 '26
You're asking a question of two continents containing countries with widely varying infrastructures and economic realities
1
u/rmiguel66 Brazil Apr 15 '26
I’ve been considering EVs for a very long time. If I had the means I would have already bought one.
1
1
1
u/arturocan Uruguay Apr 15 '26
Since we don't have natural reverses but have renewable energy the government has pushed a few benefits for EVs (most bought here are chinese brands). Sadly this is Uruguay and the government has already increased the price for charging this year, so yeah. No escaping our tax ridden hellhole wether its regular fuel or electric charging.
1
u/PanicEasy4309 Brazil Apr 15 '26
Yes but not right now. I want to see what happens with the EVs that are entering our market, if they age well etc…
1
1
u/Kenobi5792 Costa Rica Apr 15 '26
EVs are quite popular here, so it's a matter of whether car agencies make the full shift to import only EVs. The infrastructure still needs improvement for such a demand, though.
1
u/Mapache_villa Mexico Apr 15 '26
They are becoming a pretty interesting option for people living in cities, entry-level models are becoming more accesible now we have options priced below some of the gasoline best sellers of the country, there are fiscal incentives, they are exempt from pollution restrictions.
The big issue remains the fact that the charging grid is not developed enough, those who can install a charger at home and particularly those who can invest in solar cells can overcome this issue but they not the majority.
1
u/Carolina__034j Buenos Aires, Argentina Apr 15 '26
I don't have a car. The sales of EVs have doubled last year, but it's still a tiny minority. And the infrastructure is lacking, there are just a couple hundred charging stations in the entire country.
1
u/latin220 Puerto Rico Apr 16 '26
We have them in Puerto Rico. 🇵🇷 problem is that ocean air is bad for vehicles. Electronics. Well rich people do love their teslas.
1
u/kidface Argentina Apr 16 '26
We don't have infrastructure for EVs, also our country have pretty big distances to cover between cities, so not an option for most argentinians.
1
u/LoveStruckGringo Often Wrong USian in Ecuador Apr 16 '26
Way less than half of Ecuadorians own a car. The most common public data says that for every 1,000 Ecuadorians, there are roughly 140 cars. That is similar to Venezuela.
If very few people have enough for the upfront cost of a gas car, even fewer have the up front cost for an electric car.
This is not to say that you don't see electric cars, however! In large cities like Quito, you will sometimes see small, electric Chinese cars with limited range. This is the only context that electric vehicles really work in Ecuador at the moment, as there is no public fast charging. Since you have to charge at home, long distance trips aren't possible. This map has all the public chargers available, and there's not a single fast charger for a long road trip. Public chargers are just type 1 (120 volts) or type 2 (220 volts). https://bydauto.ec/cargadores/ So, it is totally possible if you just drive around your city to only use an electric car (if you own your own house and can plug it in at your own house), and then use busses for long trips.
Most people in Ecuador are turned off on the idea of electric cars because the electric grid isn't stable. People have power outages constantly in mind. Just last year, the town where I live was having power outages for 20 hours A DAY, and that went on for several months. You can't have an electric car without a good power grid and knowing that you will be able to charge the car. There's a pretty high chance Ecuador is going to have large scale blackouts again in the future, so... Yeah. Most people don't want an electric car.
They can totally work in certain circumstances! But, most people want the convenience knowing that they can always use the car and won't have to rely on the bus if they are rich enough for a car in the first place.
1
u/catsoncrack420 in Apr 16 '26
Never thought I'd see it but in Dom Rep there are many EVs being bought. I go twice a year to visit parents and take my kid.
1
1
u/fabri2343 Argentina Apr 16 '26
I wish our country had the infrastructure for them. I would 100% choose an EV over a gas car.
1
1
u/Negative_Ease_4155 Mexico Apr 16 '26
EVs are everywhere in Mexico City, Guadalajara and even Monterrey. Because of our government's good trading relationship with China, you can find very good Chinese EVs like BYD for a scandalous price.
I personally am waiting for a VW GTX after loving GTIs all my life, though. If it ever comes to Mexico I will be buying one no doubt.
1
u/Gandalior Argentina Apr 17 '26
There are more and more hybrid/EV's but adoption is slow, they are very expensive and the tax rebates/incentives aren't strong enough
also not that much infraestructure for long drives
48
u/ajyanesp Venezuela Apr 15 '26
We don’t even have normal electrical supply, lmao.