Bolivian electric car “Quantum”

Quantum is tiny…it can take three passengers. Its maximum speed is 55 kms per hour. Its range is 55 kms per charge. The production capacity is 60 cars a month. 

But the tiny Quantum is Big Pride for Bolivia. The company, based in the city of Cochabamba, has produced 1,500 vehicles so far. It also makes motorcycles, electric bicycles and three wheelers. The cost of the car is around 6000 US Dollars. Quantum imported a few EV models from China, did some reverse engineering and developed its own model. Even now about fifty percent of the components are imported from China.

Electric car means use of Lithium, which is plenty in Bolivia which has one of the largest reserves in the world. But the Lithium deposits have not yet been exploited commercially because of a Bolivian nationalist condition for production. The country does not want to export the raw material but wants to produce finished product. No foreign company has found a viable way to fulfill this condition so far. Also, there are some technical challenges to extract the lithium from the Bolivian salt flats. This means Quantum has to import Lithium batteries for some more years before sourcing them locally. Meanwhile, Quantum has signed an agreement with the state lithium company to work together toward the goal of putting Bolivian batteries in their vehicles. 

More information in https://restofworld.org/2022/quantum-motors-bolivia-electric-cars/

Bolivia is a small market of 11 million people with a relatively low per capita income. There is no other car manufacturing or any other significant industry in the country. Bolivia lives on export of gas, gold and soy. Bolivia exported gold worth 2 billion dollars to India last year. India’s exports to Bolivia were 118 million dollars. Pharmaceuticals and vehicles including motorcycles were the main export items