Sustainable mobility projects from Costa Rican companies awarded by CABEI, European Union, and KfW
Article originally published on CABEI's website on 28/06/2024. LACIF contributes to the Mipymes Verdes Initiative through an investment grant and technical assistance.
Level Up Learning Consulting Group, Inversiones RJMR CREV, and Electroconversiones are the three Costa Rican companies that demonstrated they have the most innovative projects in sustainable mobility in Costa Rica and were winners of the Regional Sustainable Mobility Contest in the country, which was carried out through the Green MSME II Initiative of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), the Government of Germany (through KfW), and the European Union (EU), in alliance with the Costa Rican Mobility Association Electrical (ASOMOVE).
Level Up Learning Consulting Group was the first-place winner with US$7,000 in non-reimbursable funds, which, according to Andrés Sánchez, owner of the company, will be used to train 60 young people from the province of Guanacaste on electric micromobility issues , teaching them to diagnose and repair low-speed vehicles and other electric means of transportation, as well as topics of innovation and creativity so that they develop their own ideas about micromobility.
Rafael Marín, General Director of Inversiones RJMR CREV won second place, receiving US$5,000 that will be invested in strengthening its platform for the management of electric vehicle chargers that stands out for its flexibility and compatibility. The novelty of the platform is the possibility of making reservations for chargers in different establishments, such as shopping centers or restaurants, guaranteeing their availability; in addition to offering data such as kW consumption and reduction in carbon footprint.
Electroconversiones is the third-place winner and is dedicated to converting internal combustion vehicles to 100% electric, thus offering options for zero-emission mobility, reducing the carbon footprint, and making the technology accessible to everyone. According to Emanuel Castro Escalante, co-owner of the company, with the funds received (which amount to US$3,000), they will continue to strengthen the project, generate more jobs, and support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the 2030 Agenda.
The three MSMEs were awarded in a symbolic event held in San José with the presence of the Vice President of the Republic, Stephan Brunner, the Ambassador of the European Union in Costa Rica, Pierre-Louis Lempereur, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Daniel Kriener, Gloriana Jiménez representing CABEI, and Silvia Rojas from ASOMOVE, an allied organization in the development of the Regional Sustainable Mobility Contest in Costa Rica.
This is the first edition of the contest, which was launched on March 19 and closed on June 9 with the participation of more than 40 MSMEs at the regional level, thus encouraging sustainable mobility in the region through the Green MSME Initiative II, an tripartite effort of CABEI, the Government of Germany (through KfW), and the European Union. It seeks to protect the climate and the environment, creating and offering adequate, efficient, and sustainable financial products for the sector with investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and cleaner production.
