Commuters Go Electric in Polluted Mexican Capital Agence France-Presse
go to original May 5, 2016

Bienvenido a la Calle (Econduce)

Martin Vazquez glides silently through the pandemonium of rush hour in Mexico City, drives his sky-blue scooter up to a charging station and plugs it in.

When Vazquez, a 28-year-old professional, moved to the Mexican capital a year ago, he drove here by car. However, the city’s notorious traffic soon convinced him to sell it and look for ways to cut through the gridlock.

He tried cycling to work, but eventually settled on the sky-blue electric scooters rented out by the half-hour by a company called Econduce.

“It’s the easiest, fastest way for me to get around,” Vazquez said.

“I have to go to work in a shirt and tie. When I biked, I would show up all sweaty. On a scooter, you just sit and accelerate. It’s like a car, but with the size and ease of a bike,” he said.

Electric vehicles are gaining a foothold in this sprawling megacity of 21 million people and 5.5 million cars. Many early adapters of the technology are, like Vazquez, seeking a less painful commute.

However, as an added bonus, these vehicles are not adding to the polluting emissions spewed by fuel-powered vehicles — which have surged back into the headlines just as the city was starting to shed its smog-choked image.

Read the rest at Taipei Times

Related: Expert Calls for Tougher Vehicle Emissions Control in Mexico City (Xinhua)

Related: Mexico City Bans 40 Per Cent of Cars Again Over Air Pollution (The Indian Express)

Related: Will Mexico’s Car Bans Measures Really Fight Pollution? (Pollution Solutions)

Related: Mexico City Businesses Say Smog Alert Cost $300M (Agence France-Presse)

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