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How Olinia Turns Mexico's EV Ambition into Reality (spectrum.ieee.org)
17 points by rbanffy 1 hour ago
2 comments

This is all populist BS that will lead nowhere. The current government is the most incompetent and corrupt ever. And we had a really low bar already.
The current government of Mexico sells itself as a left leaning party. But it has been destroying or capturing every institution we had built to support our democracy, the separation of powers and the rule of law. From the judicial branch, the electoral institute, the transparency institute and many more.
Based on Olina's marketing [0], they are primarily targeting to replace auto rickshaws/three-wheelers.

It isn't meant to be a direct competitor of a Nissan Versa, Chevrolet Aveo, Nissan Frontier, or a Kia K3.

A better approach would have been adopting Malaysia's strategy of working on building a domestic battery platform [1], as the actual value add of an EV platform comes from the battery itself.

Also, the Olina Uno is very feature light (no AC, no air bags, little to no trunk space) despite costing around $8600 [2] despite Chinese, Indian [3], and Vietnamese [4] EV cars providing those features out of the box at a similar or cheaper price point.

[0] - https://www.olinia.auto/

[1] - https://asia.nikkei.com/business/automobiles/electric-vehicl...

[2] - https://insideevs.com/news/798256/mexico-olinia-uno-ev-cheap...

[3] - https://asia.nikkei.com/business/automobiles/electric-vehicl...

[4] - https://asia.nikkei.com/business/automobiles/electric-vehicl...

Mexico most cabs there just have windows rolled down or even no windows at all aside from the windshield.

In Mazatlan for example the most common taxi is called a pulmonia and only has a windshield and top cover but is gaz powered. This seems like a slightly longer version of the 4 seater pulomnia. I could totally see this being a great upgrade for a taxi driver there.

> Mexico most cabs there just have windows rolled down or even no windows at all aside from the windshield.

That is mostly untrue. I have only seen those in Mazatlan and other turisti destinations.

I've seen Bajaj autos/mototaxis in non-touristy parts of Yucatan and Chiapas, but definitely not in CDMX.
I can see how it could replace a pulmonia but I don't see taxis replacing a nissan tsuru and versa with this to drive people to or from an airport or bus station.
Agreed!

I think Olina can successfully replace pulmonias, three-wheelers, and moto-taxis, but forcing a narrative that they can replace cars will only set the project up for failure.