Bolivia should be the world’s leading advocate of the transition to electric vehicles both at home and abroad. South American countries have of the world biggest reserve belong to lithium, an important material for the production of electric vehicle batteries. A Bolivian electric vehicle startup is looking to accelerate the country’s transition with a practical and affordable car made in the country for the people of Bolivia.
Quantum Motors released its first electric car just four years ago. The small, boxy EV has a top speed of 35 mph and a range of 50 miles. Even so, it only costs $7,600 and can be recharged through a standard home outlet. The company has only sold 350 cars in Bolivia since its release.
Marco Antonio Rodriguez, a car mechanic in La Paz, notes Related press that demand for the vehicle could change as the government ends substantial gasoline subsidies. The Bolivian government spends millions of dollars to halve the price of gas for Bolivians.
Even so, the government’s purchase of electric vehicles may encourage the growth of the domestic industry during this time. The city of La Paz launched a program called “médico en tu casa,” or “doctor in your home” in English, in which doctors make door-to-door phone calls to patients living in rural areas. neighborhood far from the city center. The program uses a fleet of six Quantum vehicles, and the project is expected to double over the next year.
Jose Carlos Marquez, General Manager of Quantum Motors, tell AP:
“E-mobility will prevail worldwide in the next few years, but it will be different in different countries. Tesla will be the dominant player in the US, with high-speed self-driving cars. But in Latin America, cars will be more compact, because our streets are more similar to those in Bombay and New Delhi than in California.”
Quantum will open a new manufacturing plant in Mexico this year to support its goal of making an impact across the entire region. Bolivia’s potential lithium wealth is still lying in the ground, waiting to be tapped. Foreign governments and auto manufacturers had the idea to exploit the huge reserves of Bolivia.
The 23 million tons of lithium within Bolivia’s borders is rivaled only by neighboring Argentina with 19 million tons and Chile with 10 million tons. No country other than the Lithium Triangle is said to have more than 7.5 million tons of lithium.
