Electromobility
The brand and the chain: what Mexico makes and what it doesn't
Mexico already designs and assembles electric vehicles under its own brands. The battery cell, the highest-value component, is still imported.
Mexico now has two home-grown electric vehicle brands, at very different stages.
Olinia is the Government of Mexico’s project. The Olinia 1 was unveiled in June 2026: six seats, more than 125 km of range, from MXN 150,000 including VAT. It uses a 13.5 kW motor and a 14.7 kWh battery under the rear seat, with a top speed of 50 km/h. The cargo version offers a 2.1 m² platform for 650 kg, with the same 14.7 kWh LFP battery and more than 120 km of range. It charges from 110 V and 220 V household outlets, with no specialized infrastructure. It was developed by specialists from IPN and TecNM, and is expected on the market in summer 2027.
Zacua is the pioneering private brand. Its special launch edition closed with 100 units sold, in a two-seater format.
The cost is in the powertrain
According to Rafael Garayoa, one of the leads behind Olinia, more than 60% of an electric vehicle’s cost sits in the powertrain: battery, motor and control electronics. At the electric vehicle panel of EnerBaja 2026, the Olinia team estimated that about 70% of the components can be sourced in Mexico, including power electronics. The gap is the battery: the cells are imported.
Why there are no Mexican cells
In April 2022, the Mining Law reserved lithium exploration and extraction to the State, and four months later LitioMx was created to manage its value chain. Its 2026–2030 institutional program, published in the DOF, devotes much of the coming years to exploration, studies, technology development and securing financing. At the start of 2026, Mexico still did not produce lithium batteries for electric vehicles.
Where batteries are assembled
Where the country does take the step is in battery assembly by global automakers. From 2027, BMW will build the iX3 and i3 of the Neue Klasse platform in San Luis Potosí, together with high-voltage batteries; the battery assembly center received more than EUR 500 million and exceeds 80,000 m².
The gap
Mexico designs and assembles electric vehicles. It does not yet make the cell, which is the highest-value component.
Bajío Ventures is a Mexican energy infrastructure investment group based in Guanajuato. It works on three fronts: capital, a data platform on the regional industrial base, and a German industrial channel. It has its own advisory presence in Berlin.
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