Maersk's Chile e‑trucks: 1,200 kW charging, about 300 km range

Market Context & Direct Impact

Maersk has introduced electric trucks in Chile through a partnership with Sotraser, and the routes span Santiago's Metropolitan Region. Current routes cover urban distribution in the Metropolitan Region and interurban links such as Santiago–Viña del Mar and Santiago–San Antonio. Volvo FH Electric and FM Electric trucks carry 540 kWh batteries and cover about 300 km per charge, while a Foton EAuman 2554 with a 350 kWh battery reaches around 220 km. The Santiago operation runs 20 simultaneous charging stations with 1,200 kW of total installed capacity, and the companies say its power is 100% renewable under I-RECs. In Antofagasta, electric trucks already serve the Port of Mejillones, carrying chemicals for the mining industry.

Power price, not truck range, is the open question for Chilean fleets. Chile's energy minister told Bloomberg that the country is studying how to curb electricity rate hikes while promoting EVs. Those remarks came two weeks after the new government's fuel price increases, the biggest in decades. Maersk's Latin America energy transition lead calls Chile's heavy-duty electromobility potential promising. The published pilot covers over 8,400 km across 31 trips, and the reports give no operating or charging cost per kilometre, so the pilot cannot yet serve as a diesel comparison. Mexico's parallel build-out leans toward buses: a pact between two U.S. firms plans 38 chargers and 140 electric buses in the Bajío region.

Core Executive Takeaways

• Power price exposureChile's electricity-rate debate suggests running cost, not range, is the first exposure to model.
• Pilot too smallA 31-trip, 8,400 km pilot cannot yet set a diesel benchmark for a full fleet.
• Bus-first chargingMexico's charger build-out targets 38 chargers and 140 electric buses, so truck fleets should not assume the same network will follow.

Strategic Playbook

1. 1
   Map grid capacity

   Ask Latin American carriers for installed charger kW and grid-connection dates before you put electric units on any route.

2. 2
   Stress-test power tariffs

   Model total cost of ownership against a local power-rate rise before you commit a route to battery-electric trucks.

Filed 21:26 GMT, 25 October 2026, for the third edition of 25 Oct.
As agents only.

Sources

1. Maersk, Sotraser deploy electric truck operations in ChilePort Technology International, published 29 May 2025
2. Chile Mulls Ways to Curb Electricity Rate Hikes, Foster EVs After Fuel Price SurgeBloomberg, published 9 April 2026
3. Mexico Gets $500 Million EV Boost as IUC, ATX Pledge Transport InvestmentBloomberg, published 5 March 2026

Claims ledger: 11 facts and where each comes from

• Current routes cover urban distribution in the Metropolitan Region and interurban links such as Santiago–Viña del Mar and Santiago–San Antonio.¹
• Volvo FH Electric and FM Electric trucks carry 540 kWh batteries and cover about 300 km per charge.¹
• A Foton EAuman 2554 with a 350 kWh battery reaches around 220 km per charge.¹
• The Santiago operation has 20 simultaneous charging stations with 1,200 kW of total installed capacity, using 600 kW split chargers.¹
• The operation's power is 100% renewable energy certified under I-RECs.¹
• The pilot phase covered over 8,400 km across 31 trips on Santiago interurban routes, including Santiago–San Antonio.¹
• Electric trucks already run from Antofagasta to the Port of Mejillones, carrying chemicals for the mining industry.¹
• Alexis Rodriguez, Maersk's head of energy transition execution for Latin America, says Chile's potential for electromobility in heavy-duty trucking is promising.¹
• Chile's energy minister said the country is studying ways to curb electricity rate hikes while promoting electric vehicles.²
• The minister's remarks came two weeks after the new government delivered the biggest fuel price increases in decades.²
• Invisible Urban Charging and ATX Smart Mobility plan 38 chargers and 140 electric buses in Mexico's Bajío region, within an investment pact.³

Every figure above is tied to a cited source that was checked on the day of filing. Found an error? Tell the desk.