Movilización vehicular y medio ambiente, ¿son los autos eléctricos la ruta hacia una solución definitiva?: el caso costarricense
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Ramírez Chaves, Elmer
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Universidad Técnica Nacional
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Costa Rica es considerado un país abierto hacia la movilización eléctrica vehicular privada. Gracias a la promulgación de incentivos políticos, se ha producido un importante incremento de automóviles eléctricos para uso diario, calculándose poco más de 14.000 automóviles a julio de 2024 (según MINAE, sin contar motos, vehículos especiales o de trabajo). Este crecimiento está impulsado en parte por la conexión al concepto de cero emisiones de CO₂ y, quizá más aún, por el marketing que destaca la percepción de ahorro en combustibles y menores costos en lubricantes derivados. El objetivo consiste en responder: ¿Qué se ha previsto en esta nación respecto a los futuros impactos ambientales, por una eventual masividad de autos usados o retirados cuando se generen desechos químicos como el cobalto, níquel o litio? Esto motivó a una investigación de tipo descriptivo, sustentada en amplio material bibliográfico y datos oficiales publicados por agencias de energía, así como en aportes de sectores de interés tanto nacionales como internacionales, lo cual llevó a la construcción de resultados basados en datos estadísticos oficiales y experiencias en países como Alemania, especialmente, en el manejo de desechos de baterías de iones de litio. En este artículo plantea una cuestión crucial para un país que se ufana de ser amigable con el ambiente, dentro de un marco de políticas que aún no se han desarrollado para valorar todo el ciclo de vida de estos materiales que, si no se tratan, son potencialmente dañinos para el medio ambiente.
Costa Rica is considered a country open to private electric vehicle mobility. Thanks to the enactment of policy incentives, there has been a significant increase in electric cars for daily use, with just over 14,000 cars estimated by July 2024 (according to MINAE, not counting motorcycles, special or work vehicles). This growth is driven in part by the connection to the zero CO₂ emissions concept and, perhaps even more so, by marketing that highlights the perception of fuel savings and lower costs in derived lubricants. The objective is to answer: what has been foreseen in this nation regarding future environmental impacts from an eventual massivity of used or retired cars when chemical wastes such as cobalt, nickel or lithium are generated? This motivated a descriptive type of research, supported by extensive bibliographic material and official data published by energy agencies, as well as contributions from both national and international sectors of interest, which led to the construction of results based on official statistical data and experiences in countries such as Germany, especially in the management of lithium-ion battery waste. What we are about to discover with this article raises a crucial issue for a country that boasts of being environmentally friendly, within a policy framework that has not yet been developed to value the entire life cycle of these materials.
Costa Rica is considered a country open to private electric vehicle mobility. Thanks to the enactment of policy incentives, there has been a significant increase in electric cars for daily use, with just over 14,000 cars estimated by July 2024 (according to MINAE, not counting motorcycles, special or work vehicles). This growth is driven in part by the connection to the zero CO₂ emissions concept and, perhaps even more so, by marketing that highlights the perception of fuel savings and lower costs in derived lubricants. The objective is to answer: what has been foreseen in this nation regarding future environmental impacts from an eventual massivity of used or retired cars when chemical wastes such as cobalt, nickel or lithium are generated? This motivated a descriptive type of research, supported by extensive bibliographic material and official data published by energy agencies, as well as contributions from both national and international sectors of interest, which led to the construction of results based on official statistical data and experiences in countries such as Germany, especially in the management of lithium-ion battery waste. What we are about to discover with this article raises a crucial issue for a country that boasts of being environmentally friendly, within a policy framework that has not yet been developed to value the entire life cycle of these materials.