Backed by policy and Chinese imports, Chile is a leader in Latin America’s shift to electric, but faces hurdles to reach its zero-emissions targets.
Chile is at the vanguard of an electric vehicle revolution in Latin America.
Today, a significant proportion of the population in the capital, Santiago, commutes using electric-powered public transport, thanks largely to a state-led drive towards decarbonisation, aided by private technology and capital that is often sourced from abroad.
“Chile is an electromobility leader in Latin America, and growth has accelerated in the sector,” says María Isabel González, the general manager of Energética, a Chilean energy consultancy. She tells Dialogue Earth that in 2024 the electric vehicle sector grew 183% on the previous year, while in the first quarter of 2025, there was a further 126% growth compared to the same period last year.
Chile is aiming to electrify its public transport network and make it emissions-free by 2040. More broadly, the country is committed to being carbon neutral by 2050 at the latest.
“Chile has made a serious commitment to environmental sustainability, which, among other actions, is realised through the development of public policies that promote both energy sustainability and electromobility,” says Jorge Daza, the undersecretary of the country’s transport ministry.
As part of Chile’s efforts to hit these ambitious targets, it launched its national electromobility strategy in 2021. By 2035, it aims for all light and medium-sized vehicle sales to be zero-emissions models, as well as 100% of all new urban public transport additions, including taxis.
The strategy also targets industry, aiming for all sales of mining, forestry, construction and agricultural machinery to be zero-emissions models by 2040; the goal for large-scale freight vehicles and intercity buses is 2045.
The government is pushing ahead with tax incentives and zero-emission zones as part of a policy portfolio. Electric vehicles are already exempt from Chile’s “green tax”, which penalises emissions. Drivers of electric or hybrid vehicles, or any vehicle deemed “zero-emissions” by the government, currently enjoy heavily discounted vehicle registration fees; the discount will gradually decrease as the 2020s progress. And Chile’s senate recently approved a bill that will enable the conversion of internal combustion engines to electric, including vehicle certification and garage licensing provisions.
Daza is optimistic that Chile will hit its targets. “To achieve these goals, it is essential to continue pursuing public policies that promote sustainable mobility in Chile,” he adds. “Electromobility presents us with an opportunity to advance the development of more efficient, safe and sustainable transportation systems, generating wellbeing for people and development for their communities.”
Chinese makers drive electric shift
With 10 years to go to hit its public transport and light-to-medium private vehicle goals, Chile is making progress. And Chinese carmakers are right at the heart of this ambitious transition.
The fleet in Santiago, where about 40% of Chile’s population is concentrated, is the largest electric bus fleet in any city outside of China. Over 3,000 of those in circulation are supplied by the Chinese manufacturers BYD, Foton, Zhongtong and Yutong, according to transport ministry figures.
BYD has also supplied electric double-decker buses – the continent’s first – that are equipped with wifi, USB charging ports and air conditioning.
By the time the current government leaves office in March 2026, Daza says there will be 4,400 electric buses on Santiago’s roads – equating to 68% of the fleet.
But there is room for improvement, too.
“It is essential to advance the electrification of mining, too, which accounts for a large part of national energy consumption,” says Javier Pereda, an associate professor in the electrical engineering department at Santiago’s Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUCC).
“In open-pit mining, nearly 50% of the energy [supply] comes from the diesel used by CAEX [Cargo Expreso, a haulage firm] trucks, while in underground mining, high consumption is associated with the ventilation systems required to mitigate pollution from diesel equipment,” adds Pereda. “These sectors represent a significant opportunity to expand industrial electromobility.” Since 2023, the mining company SQM has had a fully electric truck running loads from its lithium plant in Antofagasta, northern Chile, to the port of Tocopilla. The company hopes to add more EVs to its operational fleet in future.
Chile’s electromobility progress is closely tied to Chinese involvement in the sector. Zhongtong, for example, recently won a public tender to provide 895 zero-emissions buses – Chile’s largest order yet.
In addition, several of Santiago’s metro lines are also electrified. But beyond the capital, progress is slower. Several electrified intercity train routes have been launched, one of which covers the 85 kilometres between Santiago and the city of Rancagua to its south. As for electric buses, the northern border city of Arica, and the cities of Concepción, Temuco and Puerto Montt in the south, have 216 between them, according to transport ministry figures.
That total will reach 360 before the end of the year, with electric buses hitting the streets in Ovalle, Villarrica, Lota and Osorno, according to Daza. He says the cost of electric buses has decreased 40% in the past five years.
In October, the northern city of Copiapó became the first in South America to operate a fully electric public transport system following the addition of 121 Chinese-manufactured electric buses.
Replicating progress in personal EVs
Alongside this push to electrify public transit, the adoption of private electric vehicles (EVs) has been steadily moving towards the country’s ambitious uptake targets.
According to Chile’s national automotive association (ANAC), in September 2025, zero- or low-emission models accounted for 10.5% of new light- and medium-sized private vehicles sales in the country.
“I foresee it is possible for Chile to reach its [EV] targets, given that consumers are already considering the environmental and economic benefits of electric vehicles,” says González. ANAC disagrees: in its September report, the association argues that Chile’s EV adoption targets will not be achievable unless it further develops electrical infrastructure and reviews related tax policies.
Since the beginning of 2024 up to May 2025, the transport ministry reports that 35% of all new electric and hybrid models it has approved for sale in Chile have been Chinese. BYD dominates the plug-in vehicles market – ANAC says its Shark GS was Chile’s top selling plug-in hybrid vehicle as of September this year.
González says higher prices are “undoubtedly” the biggest barrier to adoption, allowing competitively priced Chinese technology to penetrate the market. Daza is also keen to stress the importance of Chinese manufacturers.
“Rather than absolute dominance, Chinese brands have achieved an increasingly competitive presence thanks to their ability to offer electric vehicles with good range, equipment and lower prices than European, Asian or North American brands,” adds Pereda.
The road ahead
Another issue is a lack of charging stations up and down Chile’s long sliver of territory, sandwiched between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. There are currently 1,749 public charging points in the country, according to the transport ministry, but most of these charging points are concentrated in and around Santiago.
There has been a concerted effort to increase the power available from these chargers – which has nearly doubled since last year – to enable faster charging. Meanwhile, the energy ministry has developed an app, EcoCarga, which provides information on the locations and capacities of public charging points.
Chile’s position as a producer and exporter of lithium – a vital component in battery technology at the heart of the global electromobility transition – has also sparked discussions about opportunities and challenges in its electrification. In 2021, it was estimated that the country sits on approximately 44% of the planet’s known lithium reserves. And new studies shared by the state mining body ENAMI in April suggest Chile possesses substantially more. Yet, even as the International Energy Agency forecasts that global lithium demand could increase by more than fortyfold by 2040, Chile is currently able to add very little value to the raw material it exports.
China is Chile’s biggest lithium client – 71% of lithium exports went to China in 2024 – and the source of the vast majority of electric vehicles it imports.
González believes it is “technically possible” for Chile to manufacture its own electric vehicles, but the size of the domestic market would ultimately make it hard for Chilean-built vehicles to compete. The country has never had a significant auto manufacturing sector, with most vehicles imported from Asia, Europe and the US, and the region’s automaking giants, Brazil and Mexico.
There are signs, however, that domestic manufacturing could have a potentially productive future. A public-private partnership resulted in last year’s launch of a Chilean-made hydrogen-powered bus. Hydrogen does not release greenhouse gas emissions when burned, so these buses could aid Chile’s push to achieve its emissions goals – even if this domestic industry may not be able to compete with China economically.
“From the private sector’s perspective, the challenge is to continue increasing and diversifying the supply of private electric vehicles, along with charging infrastructure,” says Daza.
Pereda believes this is possible: “Although it is a complex challenge, adding value locally is feasible, and Chile already has concrete examples.”
He continues: “The most emblematic case is Reborn Electric Motors, the first electric bus factory in Latin America, with a production capacity of nearly 200 units per year. The company recently signed an agreement with Marcopolo [a large, Brazilian manufacturer of bus and coach bodies], which represents a milestone in the national and regional industry.
“Rather than competing in mass manufacturing, the country can position itself as a developer of technological solutions that integrate power electronics, storage, control and intelligent energy management.”
The future appears bright for Chilean electromobility – and Chinese suppliers are positioned to remain at the epicentre of this nascent evolution.
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