The vehicle fleets in Latin America are increasingly incorporating hybrid electric vehicles due to the economic and non-economic incentives provided by governments aiming to reduce energy consumption and emissions in the transportation sector. However, the impacts of implementing hybrid vehicles remain uncertain, especially in Latin American, which poses a risk to the achievement of environmental objectives in developing countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefits of incorporating hybrid vehicles to replace internal combustion vehicles, considering the improvement in the level of emission standards. This study uses data reported by Colombian vehicle importers during the homologation process in Colombia and the number of vehicles registered in the country between 2010 and 2022. The Gompertz model and logistic growth curves are used to project the total number of vehicles, taking into account the level of hybridization and including conventional natural gas and electric vehicles. In this way, tailpipe emissions and energy efficiency up to 2040 are also projected for different hybrid vehicle penetration scenarios. Results show that the scenario in which the share of hybrid vehicles remains stable (Scenario 1) shows a slight increase in energy consumption compared to the baseline scenario, about 1.72% in 2035 and 2.87% in 2040. The scenario where the share of MHEVs, HEVs, and PHEVs reaches approximately 50% of the vehicle fleet in 2040 (Scenario 2) shows a reduction in energy consumption of 24.64% in 2035 and 33.81% in 2040. Finally, the scenario that accelerates the growth of HEVs and PHEVs while keeping MHEVs at the same level of participation from 2025 (Scenario 3) does not differ from Scenario 2. Results show that the introduction of full hybrids and plug-in hybrid vehicles improve fleet fuel consumption and emissions. Additionally, when the adoption rates of these technologies are relatively low, the benefits may be questionable, but when the market share of hybrid vehicles is high, energy consumption and emissions are significantly reduced. Nevertheless, this study also shows that Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles (MHEVs) do not provide a significant improvement in terms of fuel consumption and emissions.

In this study, the use of compressed and liquefied natural gas is evaluated for heavy-duty passengers (HDPV) and freight vehicles (HDFV). The evaluation is conducted considering the socioeconomic and vehicle fleet characteristics of Colombia. The energy consumption, the CO₂, and the pollutant emissions of a baseline and four natural gas penetration scenarios are analyzed. The results show that the inclusion of natural gas reduces the energy consumption per capita of the HDPV and HDFV by up to 40% by 2050. Furthermore, PM_2.5 emissions per capita are reduced up to 77% for HDPV and 90% for HDFV, while CO emissions per capita decreased by 82%. Additionally, the technological renovation of HDFV emerges as an effective way to reduce pollutant emissions in the medium term. The establishment of strategies to make HDFV cleaner and more efficient is imperative for the long term. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate the influence of the gross domestic product per capita (GDPc) over the indicators analyzed. The results show that higher GDPc demands more ambitious actions to decarbonize the transportation sector, since a considerable increase in energy consumption and emissions from heavy-duty vehicles is identified.

In this study, a methodology to measure fuel consumption for light duty vehicles (LDV) in Colombia was elaborated based on existing methodologies from road transportation worldwide. This methodology was proposed as a tool for the evaluation of energy efficiency strategies applied to vehicles, as well as establishing the baseline for measurement, control, and regulation of consumption of fossil fuels based on metrological criteria. Additionally, the capacities for measurement within Colombia were analyzed, and procedures stated by the Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America were adopted for measuring fuel consumption of LDV by gravimetric methods. An uncertainty model based on the Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) was elaborated, and the contribution of different variables associated to the measurement process the instruments, the equipment, and the ambient conditions over the uncertainty of the measurand, were analyzed.

Vehicle electrification has been proposed as a strategy for decarbonizing the transport sector. However, companies operating fleets of light-duty internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) for personnel and freight transportation still lack the data and decision-making tools necessary to evaluate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). This study proposes a novel methodology that combines the use of web applications with longitudinal vehicle dynamics to determine energy consumption and regenerative braking potential. In addition, it incorporates energy consumption data, taxes, subsidies and vehicle discounts to conduct a comparative analysis of the total cost of ownership of EVs versus IECVs. The proposed methodology was applied to evaluate the feasibility of an energy transition in a fleet of vans and pickup trucks used for transporting personnel and materials. The results show that the model can estimate energy consumption with an average error of 7.6% compared to monitored data. Replacing 10 ICEVs with 5 electric vans and 5 electric pickup trucks could reduce energy consumption by up to 62%. The operating cost of the electric van is 8.5% lower than its ICEV counterpart, while the electric pickup achieves a 13.8% reduction in operating costs compared to the combustion model. The technical findings and the methodology of this study are expected to provide a solid basis for companies to evaluate the energy and economic feasibility of electrifying their fleets.