Uruguay EV Sales Report June: BYD Dominates, Unreal Growth Brings BEV Market Share to 15%! 

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We’ve grown accustomed in Latin America to outrageous headlines claiming 500%, 700%, and even 1,100% progress yr on yr. However nearly as good an omen as these numbers are, when you learn the articles, you understand this wonderful progress has solely been potential due to a really low departing base: for instance, Brazil’s BEV market share was solely 0.3% in April 2023, so 1,100% progress introduced it to three% in April 2024: wonderful progress for certain, and an indication that there’s EV momentum, however not the sign of an instantaneous EV takeover of the Brazilian market.  

Uruguay, nonetheless, appears to be reduce of a special fabric. BEV market share in June 2023 was already 2.5% (comparatively excessive for the area), but progress in June 2024 amounted to an incredible 477% YoY! This implies Uruguay has simply left each different nation within the mud and competes now with Costa Rica for the title of Latin America’s most superior EV market! 

With an general market that grew by solely 2% in June, EVs at the moment are commonplace sufficient to begin consuming into ICEV market share. Moreover, since Uruguay has no information for PHEVs, that is pure BEV market share, which means our southern champion is now formally forward of most European international locations! The transition is on!

Basic overview of the market 

Uruguay is a small nation, and, unsurprisingly, it has a really small automotive market, averaging some 60,000 items a yr (between 4,000 and 6,000 a month). EV gross sales information is barely out there from 2023, and vital progress YoY will be seen even previous to June:

The primary 5 months of 2024, it appeared like this could be an affordable yr for Uruguay, with ~200% progress YoY and fixed will increase month on month, maybe closing the yr someplace round 7% market share.

Then, June occurred.

EV gross sales exploded: 477% progress YoY (133% progress month on month) led to a formidable 15% market share. BEVs now quantity to just about 1 in each 6 automobiles offered within the nation (that is together with mild and heavy autos), and as a consequence of technology being 99% renewable, their affect emissions-wise will likely be appreciable.

It stays to be seen whether or not June was a fluke, or whether or not demand will stay at +10% ranges for the remainder of the yr: hopefully, this isn’t a matter of a bunch of EVs arriving without delay and cleansing the backlog, however a glimpse into the way forward for the auto market in Uruguay.

BYD is the undisputed chief 

I don’t assume there’s a market in Latin America … no, no, scratch that, I don’t assume there’s a market within the world so blatantly dominated by just one automaker.

In June, BYD managed to get 75% of the market, give or take, with Chinese language OEM JAC and Volvo in a distant second and third place, respectively:

This wasn’t a fluke. BYD has gotten 70% of Uruguay’s EV market thus far this yr, which signifies that regardless that its share elevated barely in June, it has been the chief all through all six months:

Now, regardless that BYD has 5 fashions within the high 10 throughout June, its dominance will be principally traced to solely two fashions: the profitable BYD Seagull, and the BYD Dolphin, branded BYD E2 within the native market. As in lots of different markets, the Volvo EX30 completes the rostrum due to its nice worth for cash.

It’s notable that BYD’s different three fashions: the T3 Van, the Yuan Plus, and the D1 Taxi, are all properly under within the listing. JAC will get two automobiles within the high 10: the Dolphin competitor E-S3 and the Seagull competitor E-S1 (branded E10X in most different markets); in the meantime, BMW has the iX1 in sixth place, and Geometry (a model owned by Geely) makes an look with the Geometry 6 … which, if we glance intently, offered only one/50 items, as did the Seagull.

Actually, this is among the most lopsided high 10 rankings I’ve ever seen.

Yr to this point, it seems to be very comparable … besides now BYD owns the entire podium (and #4), and we see the surprising arrival of a automotive most of us hadn’t heard about in a very long time, the Citroën Ami, within the 9th place.  

Finally, it’s price noting that the JAC E-S3 solely began deliveries in June, which signifies that if it maintains its tempo, it might properly find yourself within the high 3 by the top of the yr.

Ultimate ideas

The primary thought that got here to my thoughts after I noticed these outcomes was: “Uruguay goes to impress far sooner than both Argentina or Brazil. How will folks touring from both nation to Uruguay get fuel sooner or later?” 

Uruguay could look very small, however it isn’t. From the restrict with Argentina to the restrict with Brazil, there’s almost a 600-km drive. After all, this isn’t an issue that may come up within the brief and even medium time period … however I really feel that small international locations turning into absolutely electrified can turn into a thorn of their neighbors’ ICEV gross sales as soon as the beforehand plentiful gasoline infrastructure begins going bankrupt. This may also apply to areas inside international locations that electrify sooner, one thing attention-grabbing to search for sooner or later.
So far as charging its EVs, Uruguay already has a good charging community — although, early on, it deployed a whole lot of 40kW Kind 2 AC plugs, and I don’t know what number of of those automobiles can fast-charge utilizing AC chargers (the Seagull is restricted to 5kW so far as I keep in mind). 

At USD$7 a gallon, Uruguay has probably the most costly gasoline costs within the area (and doubtless the world); in the meantime, renewable electrical energy is reasonably priced and plentiful. For the reason that nation additionally lacks oil reserves, changing foreign-purchased gasoline with domestically sourced electrical energy is little question a win for its economic system and its power safety. Uruguay is rich sufficient to not fear about oil imports the best way a rustic like Ethiopia would, however oil nonetheless accounts for over 15% of its imports.

How lengthy till that goes right down to 10%? 5%? Any wager takers? In any case, keep tuned within the following months as we wait for brand spanking new information and examine whether or not Uruguay’s EV market retains rising on the identical charges.