Bolivia Hopes to Popularize Electric Cars and Lithium

Bolivia Hopes to Popularize Electric Cars and Lithium

Bolivia has developed a special program to make its electric vehicles more popular so the country can one day put an important resource it has to use.

On a recent, cold morning, Dr. Carlos Ortuño used a small electric car from Quantum Motors to go see a patient outside of Bolivia's capital La Paz. He was unsure if the vehicle could deal with the difficult streets or the thin mountain air.

"I thought that because of the city's topography it was going to struggle, but it's a great climber," said Ortuño about his experience driving a Quantum.

It is the first electric vehicle (EV) to have ever been made in Bolivia. He added, "The difference from a gasoline-powered vehicle is huge."

Ortuño took the small EV to the patient's home as part of a government program that brings doctors to patients living in neighborhoods away from the city center.

The La Paz administrative¹ area launched the "doctor in your house" program recently using six EV's manufactured by Quantum Motors. The business is Bolivia's only producer of electric cars.

"It is a pioneering idea. It helps protect the health of those in need, while protecting the environment and supporting local production," La Paz Mayor Iván Arias² said.

The program could also help expand Quantum Motors, a company launched four years ago by a group of businessmen who believe EVs will change the car industry in Bolivia.

The Quantum is built like a box and moves at no more than 56 kilometers per hour. It can be recharged from a household outlet³ and can travel 80 kilometers before it needs to be recharged.

Its creators hope the $7,600 car will make electric cars something the public will accept.

José Carlos Márquez is a representative from Quantum Motors. He said electric cars "will prevail worldwide in the next few years, but it will be different in different countries."

He added the U.S. car company Tesla will be important in the U.S. But he said cars in Latin America will be smaller, because their streets are more similar to those of Bombay and New Delhi than those of California.

The company's effort to expand EVs in the South American country has not been easy. In the four years since its release, Quantum Motors has sold about 350 cars in Bolivia. The company did not say how many have been sold in Peru and Paraguay.

The company is also set to open a factory in Mexico later this year. But no further details have been provided about the project.

Quantum Motors' investment in battery-powered cars seems to make sense. Bolivia has an estimated 21 million metric tons of the metal lithium, the most in the world. Lithium is an important material used in making some kinds of batteries. But Bolivia does not produce industrial amounts of the metal.

Almost all cars being used in Bolivia are powered by carbon-based fuels. The government pays part of the cost of gasoline fuel to keep the price down.

Marco Antonio Rodriguez repairs cars in La Paz. He said the Quantum does not cost a lot, but he said it does not have the abilities of a gasoline-powered car. He said people might change their minds if the government stops gasoline price supports.

The makers⁴ of the Quantum hope programs like "the doctor in your house" will expand production and spread more EVs across the area. The program is supposed to double in size and expand to other neighborhoods next year.

"We are ready to grow," said Márquez. "Our inventory⁵ has been sold out through July."

Words in This Story

topography – n. the features (such as mountains and rivers) in an area of land

pioneer – v. to help create or develop (new ideas or methods)

outlet – n. a device in a wall into which an electric cord can be plugged in order to provide electricity for a lamp or television

recharge –v. to add electrical charge to a battery

prevail – v. to defeat an opponent especially in a long or difficult contest

battery – n. a device that is placed inside a machine (such as a clock, toy, or car) to supply it with electricity

inventory – n. a supply of goods that are stored in a place

1 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

2 arias   

n.咏叹调( aria的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Can you pick out the operatic arias quoted in this orchestral passage? 你能听出这段管弦乐曲里有歌剧式的咏叹调吗？ 来自辞典例句
• The actions are large and colour, there are arias and recitatives. 动作夸张而华美，有唱段也有宣叙部。 来自辞典例句

3 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。