President Gustavo Petro attributed the 171.3% increase in electric vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2026 to his gasoline vehicle tariff policy. In an X post, he hailed the outcome as progress in decarbonization and relief for air pollution-related mortality in cities like Bogotá and Medellín.
Colombia recorded 9,349 new electric vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2026, a 171.3% increase from the same period in 2025. Leading brands were Tesla, BYD, and Chery. President Gustavo Petro wrote on X: "Thanks to our tariff policy on gasoline vehicles, making them more expensive, in just one month we doubled electric car sales".
Petro called this outcome "almost a miracle" and highlighted its effect on lowering air pollution-related deaths, particularly in Bogotá and Medellín. "It is a great relief for Bogotá and Medellín to lower the general and childhood mortality rate. Another achievement fulfilled", he added.
The president called for advancing local assembly and production of electric cars, motorcycles, and buses to supply the domestic market and export to Latin America. "We will be a hub for electric vehicle production for the world", he stated. He also urged extending decarbonization to agroindustry, trucks, tractors, ships, and planes, and for the steel sector to produce green flat sheets.
Petro stressed training technicians on electric motors, gas stations offering electricity sales, and new buildings including fast charging stations. He proposed swiftly implementing 'Colombia Solar' with free energy for vulnerable families, linking it to broadband and 3D printing to turn homes into workshops.
