Photo: GM

By MELISSA T. CASTRO

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has repeatedly touted promises that at least 50 percent of Mexico’s automotive factories will be rolling out electric cars by the year 2030.

But General Motors’ (GM) Mexico head Francisco Garza is looking at a far more conservative figure, foreseeing just 15 percent of the vehicles produced in the country as being electric by 2030.

At present, electric vehicles (EVs) have not become streamlined in the Mexican market, and consumers are hesitant to purchase an electric vehicle over concerns of upfront costs, access to charging stations and even electric outages.

Notwithstanding, EVs not only save consumers on high fuel costs, but are much better for the environment since they do not depend on fossil energy sources.

There are, of course, ways to incentivize consumers, if the government were to support financial breaks for EV buyers and drivers, increase access to charging stations and helps raise public awareness about their use.

For now, companies like General Motors can make changes to their production plants, like they have at their Ramos Arizpe plant, in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila, modifying it to only produce EVs.

But the administration, which has been no great defender of environmental matters, would need  to follow through with public policies for vehicle electrification for this to happen.

If these measures could be implemented quickly enough, then, perhaps, a midpoint goal of 30 percent production would seem somewhat more attainable by 2030.