Mexico Unveils Olinia 1, Its First State-Backed Electric Vehicle Developed by Mexican Engineers

At an official event Sunday morning, Olinia 1—the first 100% electric vehicle developed and designed in Mexico by Mexican engineers—was unveiled, showcasing its technical specifications and features. 

Olinia 1 made its triumphant entrance into one of the hangars at the Santa Luisa military air base, driven by President Claudia Sheinbaum.

“Mission accomplished! Olinia means movement, to move in Nahuatl, movement of ideas, of creativity, to move with innovation, with hope, to move towards new horizons,” stated President Claudia Sheinbaum 

Roberto Capuano Tripp, director of the project, stated that this EV is “the car that millions of people in Mexico need.” He went on to say that “building a national industry does not mean to isolate, but learn, integrate capacities and develop our knowledge step by step”. He emphasized that the goal by 2030 is for Olinia to be built with 75% national content—up from its current 50%—and noted that a public-private company is being formed to achieve this. 

Features of Olinia 

Olinia is a low-cost plug-in EV that is charged with a standard  household or business outlet. Designed to maximize both the interior and exterior space, it has a capacity of up to six people and is fully equipped to transport passengers in wheelchairs. The vehicle features a 14.7 kWh battery with a range of 125 km. It boasts a remarkably low operating cost of just 49 cents per kilometer—five times less than a gasoline-powered vehicle— which translates to an annual saving of up to 50,000 pesos ($2,861.90 USD). The EV will go on sale in the summer of 2027 with a starting price of 150,000 pesos ($8,581.61 USD). 

Roberto Capuano Tripp announced that they are working on a plan to deploy a charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, with a goal to install tens of thousands of charging points across the country by 2030. The first stage already includes a plan to enable 2,000 charging ports in Mexico City, the State of Mexico and Puebla, in coordination with the Secretariat of Energy and the state-owned company the Federal Commission of Electricity (CFE). 

Olinia, alongside Taruk—the first Mexican electric city bus—is the flagship electromobility initiative of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government, representing a major step towards  sustainable transport in Mexico.

Photo: Claudia Sheinbaum Facebook