In order to ensure that sustainable mobility and electrification of vehicles is not only limited to large corporations, the Chilean Ministry of Energy and the Energy Sustainability Agency (AgenciaSE) are offering a program to help small and medium-sized industries, grouped in MSMEs.
The initiative called “Ponle Energía a tu Pyme” offers co-financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, including electromobility strategies, to improve their operations and energy costs, which represent between 10% and 18% of a company in this segment, according to data from the National Energy Efficiency Survey.
The benefits of the project include two Voltera R6 vans, eight Maxus last-mile electric vans -two of which have already been delivered in Santiago and Castro-, two Hyundai Ionic electric vehicles, as well as light mobility vehicles represented by five bicycles, a quadricycle and 65 electric motorcycles.
The plan has a budget of Ch$3.8 billion to co-finance micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) throughout Chile.
Recent beneficiary companies
A few days ago, two members of MSMEs received a Voltera R6, a vehicle that stands out for being the first 100% electric truck approved in Chile, and allows users to stop emitting between 6 and 10 tons of CO2 per year, depending on its use. It is estimated that in its useful life it will avoid the emission of more than 70 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
It is a four-door, five-passenger pickup vehicle with a real autonomy of more than 270 kilometers. It has all the comfort features of a modern car at an affordable price.
According to AgenciaSE figures, the cost of a 100-kilometer trip in this vehicle is approximately $3,000, which implies a considerable saving compared to the diesel or gasoline consumed by traditional combustion vans.
“It is important for us to be able to contribute to companies’ access to electric vehicles within the framework of the Ponle Energía a tu Pyme program, because we are not only contributing to increase the number of this type of vehicles in the country, but we are also providing greater competitiveness and sustainability to MSMEs, said the Executive Director of the AgenciaSE, Rosa Riquelme.
“It is a double effect that fills us with satisfaction because, together with contributing with this initiative to the great goals of a just energy transition, we are also improving the conditions of productive actors and the quality of life of their communities,” she said.
