A small but growing number of Bolivians are trading their fossil fuel-powered vehicles for electric ones. This comes as fuel costs in Bolivia have doubled after subsidies ended under President Rodrigo Paz. The country has faced fuel shortages with long lines at gas stations and complaints about poor quality gasoline.
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Here's what to doRejecting church and state separation is on the wish list for Trump's religious liberty commissionEsculturas de Leonora Carrington se presentan en laberinto | Simón Huanca drives his electric vehicle through the streets of El Alto, Bolivia, Friday, April 24, 2026. An electrician installs a home electric vehicle charging station in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
Public transport drivers protest poor gasoline fuel quality, one holding a sign with a message that reads in Spanish; “Enough with the trash gas. Corrupt ones,” in La Paz, Bolivia, March 25, 2026. People walks past electric cars displayed for sale at “La Feria de la 16 de Julio,” in El Alto, Bolivia, Sunday, April 19, 2026.
Bolivian Workers’ Union members march to protest fuel subsidy cuts in El Alto, Bolivia, Jan. 5, 2026. Simón Huanca drives his electric vehicle through the streets of El Alto, Bolivia, Friday, April 24, 2026. Simón Huanca drives his electric vehicle through the streets of El Alto, Bolivia, Friday, April 24, 2026. An electrician installs a home electric vehicle charging station in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
An electrician installs a home electric vehicle charging station in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Public transport drivers protest poor gasoline fuel quality, one holding a sign with a message that reads in Spanish; “Enough with the trash gas. Corrupt ones,” in La Paz, Bolivia, March 25, 2026.
Public transport drivers protest poor gasoline fuel quality, one holding a sign with a message that reads in Spanish; “Enough with the trash gas. Corrupt ones,” in La Paz, Bolivia, March 25, 2026. People walks past electric cars displayed for sale at “La Feria de la 16 de Julio,” in El Alto, Bolivia, Sunday, April 19, 2026.
People walks past electric cars displayed for sale at “La Feria de la 16 de Julio,” in El Alto, Bolivia, Sunday, April 19, 2026. Bolivian Workers’ Union members march to protest fuel subsidy cuts in El Alto, Bolivia, Jan. 5, 2026. Bolivian Workers’ Union members march to protest fuel subsidy cuts in El Alto, Bolivia, Jan. 5, 2026.
to navigate El Alto, Bolivia’s highest city, using the vehicle to transport both his family and the alpaca wool for his weaving workshop. He also installed a dedicated charger in his own garage, mainly for convenience, but also because there are only three public charging stations serving the vast metropolitan area of El Alto and neighboring“Since last year, I’ve been trying to get an electric car to save on costs,” Huanca said while driving his electric off-road vehicle through a working-class neighborhood.
Huanca is one of a small but growing number of Bolivians abandoning their fossil fuel-powered cars for electric vehicles as, who maintained a state subsidy under which the country purchased fuel at international prices and sold it at half its value on the domestic market. But Bolivia — which imports 80% of the diesel and 55% of the gasoline it consumes — gradually ran out of foreign currency to purchase fuel, and the subsidy represented an annual drain of more than $2 billion on the state.
A few weeks later, transport operators complained that the poor quality of the gasoline was damaging their vehicles. The government alleged sabotage, and Paz said that the gasoline distributed by state-owned oil company Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos was contaminated with gum and manganese that had remained in the storage tanks since the Arce administration. The “junk gasoline” scandal triggered a wave of strikes and protests among transportation workers and the resignations of two high-ranking officials at the state-owned oil company..
Faced with the possibility of yet another rise in fuel prices, some traded in their gasoline-powered cars for electric vehicles.
“The investment exceeds $36,000, but I no longer waste valuable working hours searching for fuel or managing vehicle repairs,” said Ever Vera, a 54-year-old lawyer. The number of electric vehicles in Bolivia climbed from 500 to 3,352 in the last five years, according to the Single Registry for Tax Administration, which compiles data on tax-paying vehicles. The most significant surge was recorded over the last two years, coinciding with the fuel crisis.
They still only make up a tiny fraction of the estimated 2.6 million vehicles in the country of almost 12 million people.
“The growth is exponential,” said Freddy Koch, an electromobility expert with the independent nonprofit organization Swisscontact. He noted that while these vehicles are being purchased by more affluent buyers, he expects them to gain broader appeal and predicts that the total number of electric vehicles could triple in as little as two to three years.
Paz also eliminated import tariffs on all types of automobiles, a move that has multiplied the number of importers competing with one another to bring these vehicles into Bolivia at a lower cost. The rising number of electric vehicles has created new opportunities for 38-year-old electrician Marcelo Laura. A month ago, he identified a lucrative niche in the installation of residential and commercial charging stations.
“There aren’t many public charging stations,” he said. “A year ago, I thought it was practically impossible to think that people would actually be bringing in electric cars. ”
Transportation Technology Oil And Gas Industry Bolivia Electric Vehicles General News Latin America Central America South America La Paz International Trade Business Freddy Koch World News Marcelo Laura Subsidies Technology Simn Huanca Energy Markets Luis Arce Iran World News
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