Costa Rica has just inaugurated its first public electric vehicle charging station which will offer free public access for all EV’s for two years. Costa Rica is a leader in renewable energy, but as it aims for carbon neutrality the nation must tackle vehicle emissions. An alliance with the CNFL electric company and BMW is enabling access to the new EV charging station in La Uruca near downtown San José, and thus is laying the groundwork for a thriving EV infrastructure in Costa Rica.
Two such privately stations already exist, one in Escazú and another in Pinares (Curridabat). The BMWi Project has launched this latest station at the BMW facility in La Uruca. The project is part of ConectaVE, a public-private initiative launched in 2015 by the state electric providers CNFL and ICE to build electric vehicle recharging stations jointly with auto dealers.
For Roy Guzmán, director of strategy and business development at CNFL, this effort demonstrates the benefits of synergistic cooperation between public and private companies “for the benefit of the country.”
Although Costa Rica produces upwards of 90 percent of its own energy from renewable sources such as hydro, wind, solar and geothermal plants, the outmoded ground transportation system is heavily reliant on gas-guzzling vehicles and is a main stumbling block as the country reaches for carbon neutrality by 2021, said Guzmán.
For his part, Minister of Environment and Energy Edgar Gutiérrez highlighted the effort and the vanguard role of the CNFL in the field of electric transportation. He said the project helps encourage a change of culture and mentality in Costa Ricans in favor of the environment.
But, at the same time, Gutiérrez stressed that “the state can not do everything,” and said it is therefore necessary to strengthen public-private alliances of this type.
