Latin America is undergoing a public transportation revolution and cities are strongly investing in electric vehicles. In 2018, the Chilean government started replacing the old buses of the Santiago Metropolitan Transportation System with electric buses, stating that for developing countries the most efficient way to promote sustainable technologies in transportation is via mass transit. The Chilean Government has since purchased around 500 electric buses and 100 electric taxis for the city.

While electric vehicles are quite similar to internal combustion ones in design and shape, mechanically they are very different. To get the greatest benefit from them, they must be driven in the right way.

The Automovil Club de Chile, with the support of the FIA Sustainable Mobility Progamme, therefore developed a project to create a training, evaluation and certification system to allow electric drivers to derive the most benefit from this new technology. 

The main objective of the project was to establish a standardized system between the countries of the Latin American region to train, evaluate and certify drivers of electric vehicles.

To achieve the goal, the project developed the following tools:

• A standardized job descriptor for drivers of electric light vehicles and buses
• A training course up to 40 hours
• Tools to evaluate and certify skills

These tools were tested in Chile with municipal drivers, who will soon be driving electric cars and buses with one of the seven operators of the Santiago Metropolitan Public Transportation System.

The deliverables and lessons learnt of the project are currently bing circulated amongst Club Members of FIA Region IV in order to promote the training of drivers of electric vehicles, and to empower the region to take a leading position in the e-mobility revolution.