Mexico seeking to establish rates for EV charging stations

Mexico’s energy regulator CRE is creating a rate system for electric vehicle power charging, raising concerns among electromobility firms that want to deploy the country’s first charging network. 

Currently, federal power utility CFE is the only provider allowed to charge for electricity in Mexico because reselling energy is prohibited. However, an expert told BNamericas in October that charging-station developers such as Tesla and Evergo have been using an exemption in the electricity industry law that went into effect in 2014 to go around that obstacle.

Local media reported that draft guidelines might be released soon.

On Wednesday, CRE commissioner Walter Julián Ángel told daily Reforma that “we established a methodology with a fair price for charging electric vehicles. Today we cannot impose the methodology because there is no permit for opening electric stations. That scheme does not exist and a rate group for the electric station does not exist either.”

He added, “at CRE we have already consolidated the rate group and we are going to convene the companies that participated in the working group to make this rate group a reality, with the powers allowed by federal regulation for building the rates.” 

Tesla, which is building a US$10bn gigafactory in Nuevo León state, has set up 33 supercharging stations in Mexico and aimed to open three more at the end of 2023. 

Meanwhile, Evergo announced in May that it would increase its investments in Mexico from US$200mn to US$400mn to install a north-south charging corridor. The 10-year project involves 15,000 charging ports to be installed in four stages.