One million and counting: Latin America quietly crosses an electric-vehicle tipping point

Latin America and the Caribbean have crossed one million electrified light-duty vehicles — 1,016,034 battery-electric and plug-in hybrids on the road as of June 2026, up from 17,541 in 2020. One in ten new light-duty vehicles sold in the region this year is electric or plug-in hybrid; Uruguay and Costa Rica lead per person, while Chile runs 5,000+ electric buses. The OLADE Electric Mobility Monitor estimates the fleet saves the region $1.519 billion a year in energy costs — nearly $4 million a day.