‘pioneer’ commuters go electric in polluted mexico city
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today
Egypt Today, egypt today
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today

‘Pioneer’ commuters go electric in polluted Mexico City

Egypt Today, egypt today

Egypt Today, egypt today ‘Pioneer’ commuters go electric in polluted Mexico City

Electric motorcycles are parked at an ‘Econduce’ (Edrive) programme station in Polanco, Mexico
Mexico City - Arab today

Martin Vazquez glides silently through the pandemonium of rush hour in Mexico City, drives his sky-blue scooter up to a charging station and plugs it in.

When Vazquez, a 28-year-old professional, moved to the Mexican capital a year ago, he drove here by car. But the city’s notorious traffic soon convinced him to sell it and look for ways to cut through the gridlock.

He tried cycling to work, but eventually settled on the sky-blue electric scooters rented out by the half-hour by a company called Econduce.

“It’s the easiest, fastest way for me to get around,” said Vazquez.

“I have to go to work in a shirt and tie. When I biked, I would show up all sweaty. On a scooter, you just sit and accelerate. It’s like a car, but with the size and ease of a bike.

Electric vehicles are gaining a foothold in this sprawling megacity of 21 million people and 5.5 million cars.

Many early adapters of the technology are, like Vazquez, seeking a less painful commute.

But as an added bonus, these vehicles are not adding to the polluting emissions spewed by fuel-powered vehicles — which have surged back into the headlines just as the city was starting to shed its smog-choked image.

Authorities declared an air pollution alert in Mexico City last month — the first in more than a decade — and have imposed strict limits on car use.

The temporary measures take 20 per cent of the city’s cars off the road each day.

On April 6, the smog was so bad officials doubled the restriction, ordering 40 per cent of cars off the road — as well as, for the first time, 40 per cent of motorcycles.

The ban caused chaos on the overstretched public transportation system.

But it was a boon for Eduardo Porta, the entrepreneur behind the Econduce scooters, who says his clients increased by 50 per cent.

The 33-year-old industrial engineer launched the company last year, modelling the service on bike-sharing programs in cities like Paris, Berlin, New York and, since 2010, Mexico City itself.

The company has a network of charging stations throughout the city, enabling users to pick up a scooter near home and drop it off near work.

“We are pioneers worldwide. The only similar service is in San Francisco (‘Scoot,’ which launched in 2012). We wanted to tackle the double problem of traffic and pollution,” Porta told AFP.

The scooters go up to 55 kilometres (35 miles) per hour. A half-hour trip costs a little over 50 US cents with a monthly subscription fee of $11.

In a year, the company has expanded from five charging stations to 37 and tripled its initial fleet of 50 scooters. It now has 1,800 users.

Then there are electric bicycles, which give users a battery-charged boost as they pedal. They can go up to 30 kilometres per hour and cover up to 60 kilometres with a single battery charge.

“Since the air pollution alert was declared, interest has soared. Sales have doubled,” said electric bike salesman Daniel Cruz of a local firm called Prodecotech.

“Electric bicycles don’t require an intense physical effort. You don’t sweat, you don’t get tired and you don’t have to inhale so much air.”

The mayor’s office has launched an e-transport task force. However, officials say more money is needed to make the city’s bus fleet electric and expand the number of electric taxis from around 20 to a target of 1,500.

And it is still early days for electric cars.

The infrastructure for recharging cars has expanded, but it is still not enough, said Fausto Cuevas Mesa, head of the Mexican Automobile Industry Association.

And there are no tax incentives for people to buy electric, he said.

“There could be greater interest in electric cars, but the issue is people’s pocketbooks. They cost two or three times more,” he said.

At a Chevrolet dealership in an upscale neighbourhood, electric car specialist Vicente Cuevas admits the typical client reaction upon learning what the vehicles cost — $22,000 for an entry-level model — “is not favourable.”

But “with the new anti-pollution measures, people are starting to view our vehicles with greater interest,” he said

source : gulfnews

egypttoday
egypttoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

‘pioneer’ commuters go electric in polluted mexico city ‘pioneer’ commuters go electric in polluted mexico city



GMT 07:22 2017 Monday ,20 November

Honda recalls 800,000 minivans over faulty seats

GMT 07:15 2017 Thursday ,30 November

Colombian President invites UAE companies

GMT 13:44 2013 Wednesday ,07 August

Chinese game developers bet on smartphone games

GMT 10:30 2011 Tuesday ,23 August

The Arab-Spanish investment forum 2011

GMT 10:49 2017 Monday ,06 November

Britain frozen out as EU finance chiefs plot future

GMT 14:30 2017 Wednesday ,06 December

India scent Test victory as pollution makes bowlers vomit

GMT 12:32 2018 Tuesday ,16 October

Runaway former sex offender nabbed in Thailand

GMT 16:34 2017 Wednesday ,01 March

Afghan capital attack toll jumps to 16

GMT 20:32 2013 Monday ,17 June

Porsche finds a new target audience

GMT 10:13 2011 Sunday ,31 July

Distressed debt firm eyes Nakheel creditors

GMT 18:25 2016 Thursday ,08 September

Ex-Lankan president’s ‘vanity airline’ grounded

GMT 21:02 2018 Wednesday ,05 September

Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes Russia’s Urals region

GMT 18:54 2014 Tuesday ,14 January

Cobalt nanoparticles applied in designing biosensor

GMT 12:00 2013 Wednesday ,31 July

Saudi consumers given teeth whitening kit warning

GMT 14:26 2014 Wednesday ,12 February

Earthquake behind shroud of Turin image

GMT 08:58 2014 Wednesday ,15 January

\'Lone Survivor\' blows away North American box office

GMT 15:32 2015 Sunday ,27 September

Thousands march to remember Mexico's missing students

GMT 01:25 2017 Thursday ,05 January

Strong Earthquake Strikes Off Coast of Fiji

GMT 12:51 2011 Friday ,08 July

No plans to merge Gazprom and Naftogaz
 
 Egypt Today Facebook,egypt today facebook  Egypt Today Twitter,egypt today twitter Egypt Today Rss,egypt today rss  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
egypttoday, Egypttoday, Egypttoday