Business & Economy

Electromobility, green hydrogen: Uruguay’s second energy revolution

By Santiago Carbone

Montevideo, Apr 1 (EFE).- With a record number of vehicles sold in 2021, electromobility (e-Mobility) continues to grow in Uruguay, a country where 98% of its energy is generated from renewable sources and where green hydrogen, one of the world’s latest renewable energy technologies, is now a focus of attention.

After completing the first stage of its transformation to the almost total decarbonization of the energy supply matrix, with an investment of $8 billion from 2010 to date, the country is ready to take on new challenges.

ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION

Currently, some 600 vehicles on the roads spanning Uruguay’s 175,000 square kilometers (67,500 square miles) are electric; that number includes about 35 buses and 100 taxis.

In a bid to encourage the transition to e-mobility, the Uruguayan Government offers several incentives, such as tax relief and energy efficiency certificates, among others.

“Uruguay, compared to the region, has done many things and it seems to me that it is a good initial stepping stone, but there is still a lot to do,” National Energy Director Fitzgerald Cantero told Agencia EFE.

He said one of the challenges is to achieve an electrical network of direct current charging stations throughout the South American country.

“The vast majority of people charge at home, but obviously you need to have a good public charging network,” he said.

In December 2017, Uruguay inaugurated the first electric route in Latin America, which at that time linked the southwestern city of Colonia del Sacramento to the southeastern seaside resort of Punta del Este, two of the most visited cities by tourists during the austral summer.

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