Plataformas digitales y autos eléctricos: nueva puerta de acceso a tecnologías limpias en América Latina

The analysis examines the emergence of direct imports of electric vehicles from China via digital platforms like Alibaba in Latin America and the Caribbean. It highlights cases in Costa Rica and Antigua and Barbuda where this method reduced costs or provided access to unavailable technology, while noting challenges regarding after-sales service, quality standards, and technical support.

• Traditional barriers to electric vehicle adoption in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean include high prices, limited supply, and a lack of official distributors in smaller markets.
• Digital platforms are democratizing access to clean technologies by allowing consumers to bypass large importers; for example, an individual in Costa Rica imported a Kia EV5 via Alibaba at approximately 50% less than the local market value.
• Institutional adoption of this model is occurring, as seen in Antigua and Barbuda, where the government used Alibaba to import nine electric buses after failing to find regional providers that met technical and budget requirements.
• While direct digital imports accelerate the adoption of clean technologies in underdeveloped markets, they create significant uncertainties regarding safety standards, spare parts, and technical warranties.

APA

Castillo, M., & Inostroza, Y. (2026). Plataformas digitales y autos eléctricos: nueva puerta de acceso a tecnologías limpias en América Latina. Centro de Movilidad Sostenible. https://cmsostenible.org/plataformas-digitales-y-autos-electricos-nueva-puerta-de-acceso-a-tecnologias-limpias-en-america-latina/

Chicago

Castillo, Marcela, and Yanina Inostroza. Plataformas digitales y autos eléctricos: nueva puerta de acceso a tecnologías limpias en América Latina. Centro de Movilidad Sostenible, 2026. https://cmsostenible.org/plataformas-digitales-y-autos-electricos-nueva-puerta-de-acceso-a-tecnologias-limpias-en-america-latina/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Castillo |first1=Marcela |last2=Inostroza |first2=Yanina |title=Plataformas digitales y autos eléctricos: nueva puerta de acceso a tecnologías limpias en América Latina |publisher=Centro de Movilidad Sostenible |date=19 May 2026 |url=https://cmsostenible.org/plataformas-digitales-y-autos-electricos-nueva-puerta-de-acceso-a-tecnologias-limpias-en-america-latina/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{castillo2026plataformas, author = {Castillo, Marcela and Inostroza, Yanina}, title = {{Plataformas digitales y autos eléctricos: nueva puerta de acceso a tecnologías limpias en América Latina}}, institution = {Centro de Movilidad Sostenible}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://cmsostenible.org/plataformas-digitales-y-autos-electricos-nueva-puerta-de-acceso-a-tecnologias-limpias-en-america-latina/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }