In order to travel 220 kilometers in a conventional vehicle, users must invest at least 15,000 colones in gasoline; but an electric vehicle can travel that distance for just 1,200 colones.
The economic savings is one of the advantages of this type of cars; the replacement of fossil fuels for renewable electric energy implies an estimated saving of 75%.
The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) acquired a vehicle fleet (by substitution) of 100 vehicles that move with electric power. Its autonomous load allows you to travel up to 220 kilometers.
Loading this type of vehicle -Hyundai Ionic 2019- takes four hours at home, but if you go to an ICE fast charging station, it only takes 20 minutes.
Those who have nightly rate, will pay 1,200 colones for every 220 kilometers, and with normal residential rate, the cost is 4 thousand colones.
CRHoy.com tested one of the ICE vehicles, on a route from La Sabana to Quepos. This type of cars have zero polluting emissions, they do not make noise when turning on or off and each time the speed decreases, the load is “regenerated”.
Currently, the recharge of energy in the vehicles in the L2 stations of the ICE is free. These are located in Jacó, Alajuela, Sabana Norte, Guápiles, Limón, Liberia, Cuatro Cruces – Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Quepos and San Isidro del General.