Work

Electric mobility investment in developing countries: Emerging patterns from cross-country analysis

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: On paper, many developing countries have made pledges to decarbonise and reduce GHG emissions. Nevertheless, decarbonisation is barely happening in many of them. Among other reasons, transport electrification with electric mobility, which is pivotal in the decarbonisation strategy of many developing countries, is beset by investment challenges on the demand and supply sides. On the demand side, the lingering ‘where will the money come from’ challenge remains critical because governments are financially constrained. On the supply side, investors remain uncertain about which country to invest in for electric mobility. This paper contributes to the academic and policy debate from the transport and power sector coupling context. We apply our conceptual framework to analyse some developing countries with wholesale power markets and wholesale and retail power markets. Then, we conduct cross-country analysis of fifteen countries to assess the possibility of emerging patterns of electric mobility investment solutions in these countries. We argue that regional or continental patterns may be emerging among some countries. We found that Latin American countries (Chile, Colombia, Argentina) appear to follow a pattern of investment in public transport electrification with electric buses, although the countries are at different stages of development. Romania, Poland, and Türkiye appear to follow an investment pattern in private electric vehicles. We found a pattern with low-cost two and three-wheelers in Central American countries (Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador). We recommend policies on electric mobility investment issues in developing countries.

Source: Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives

DOI: 10.1016/j.trip.2025.101764

Authors: Wale Arowolo, Yannick Perez

Institutions: Université Paris-Saclay, CentraleSupélec, Laboratoire Génie Industriel

Language: English

Topic: Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Affordable and clean energy, Climate action, Partnerships for the goals, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,400