Costa Rica

Authorise up to 60 days of denominator, partner, platform, site and commercial diligence. Do not release the CRC120 million capex envelope, sign a long lease, grant territory or accept damaged-pack custody until G1–G8 pass. If they pass, run a capped 90-day pilot targeting 225 paid jobs, CRC205,000+ ARO, 62% gross margin, zero severe HV incidents and non-negative EBITDA.

ASOMOVE’s category definitions distinguish passenger cars from motorcycles, special and work vehicles. At June 2026, the cumulative passenger-car series is 35,499, while the broader all-class zero-emission series is 41,502 [asomove_indicators] [asomove_2025]. PHEVs are outside the green-plate zero-emission series and are not invented as an add-on [green_plates].

Passenger BEV registrations drive the service model. All-class registrations are shown only as ecosystem context. PHEV history and stock were not found in a directly comparable official series; EVS records that gap. Charger, connector, centre, site and commercial host are also kept separate because the published counts have different scopes [aresep_chargers_2024] [asomove_2025].

Cautious, base and high cases apply 10%, 20% and 30% annual growth for five years to the 34,612 active planning pool. They are EVS planning sensitivities, not official forecasts, and must be rebased to the acquired active VIN file.

ASOMOVE’s live indicator displayed 92 rapid chargers at access. ARESEP’s November 2024 audit counted 125 public centres—65 L2 and 60 L3—and found 4,959 faults during January 2023–April 2024, mostly software-related [asomove_indicators] [aresep_chargers_2024]. ICE is expanding rapid infrastructure, including the six-charger Villa Bonita hub [ice_alajuela_hub].

No authoritative average age for the active passenger-BEV parc was located. The flow proves a young cohort: 26,546 passenger cars were registered from 2024 through H1 2026. That favours warranty/recall/PDI, tyres, 12V, HVAC, charging, ADAS and collision isolation before mature out-of-warranty pack repair [asomove_indicators].

The model starts with 35,499 cumulative passenger BEVs, applies a 97.5% active factor, then 1.30 paid events and CRC185,000 pre-VAT ARO. SAM applies assumed 75% GAM concentration and 40% independent reach. Every rate is an EVS assumption; current SOM is zero.

Start B2B: importer/dealer overflow, corporate and delivery fleets, insurers/bodyshops and used-EV evidence. Retail follows after platform coverage and first-time-fix are demonstrated. Heavy buses and work vehicles remain outside launch tooling and economics.

Secondary customs/import analysis identifies BYD Yuan Pro, BYD Seagull and Geely EX5 as the top 2025 BEV models with 1,980, 1,242 and 1,042 units respectively [models_2025]. Imports are not registrations or active stock, so they guide tooling priority rather than market-share claims.

OEM/importer networks hold warranty, parts and diagnostics; Geely publishes 10,000 km/12-month service and an 8-year/200,000 km traction-battery warranty [geely_service]. EV-ONE, Manza and EV Tronics demonstrate independent HV/battery capability [evone] [manza] [evtronics]. EVS must compete on governed multi-brand evidence, fleet SLAs and insurer custody—not discount labour.

A west/central GAM hub is the working hypothesis because it links San José, Santa Ana/Escazú, Belén/Heredia, Alajuela, the airport/logistics corridor and ICE’s Villa Bonita charging hub [ice_alajuela_hub]. This is an EVS location assumption: acquire registration geography and quote two partner sites before committing.

The fiscal regime is phasing down. ASOMOVE’s current summary indicates 4% VAT in 2026, 25% payment of selective-consumption and customs-value taxes during the June 2025–June 2028 step, and only a 20% property-tax exemption in 2026 before full payment from 2027 [asomove_faq] [law_10209]. Revalidate with Hacienda for every transaction.

Pilot economics are nominal CRC, pre-VAT and assume no grant, Free Trade Zone relief or tax holiday. PROCOMER describes major exemptions for qualifying Free Trade Zone operations, but a domestic workshop must not assume eligibility [procomer_incentives]. Training co-financing is upside only after written approval [procomer_training].

The launch map includes entity/tax/CCSS/INS registrations, municipal land use and patent, a Sanitary Operating Permit, electrical certification, fire acceptance, ITV-compatible road-test controls and authorised waste routes [health_psf] [health_vui] [aresep_itv]. No dedicated national EV-workshop licence was located; written local legal advice remains a gate.

Costa Rica’s general employer safety duty applies, while CSO lists specialised live-electrical regulation for distribution/transmission [mtss_general_safety] [cso_regulations]. Vehicle HV work therefore needs an EVS role-based authorisation system—awareness, isolation and diagnosis—supported by TEC/INA/OEM training, OEM procedures, prove-dead, rescue and insurer acceptance [tec_ev_training] [ina_mechanics].

Lead-acid automotive batteries are named special-management waste, while Ministry reporting covers hazardous generators and authorised managers [special_waste] [health_waste_transfer]. RAEE collection points do not prove traction-pack acceptance [health_raee_2025]. EVS will not open packs or store damaged packs until a written chemistry-specific route, transporter, insurer and fire plan exist.

Launch with SOH/read-only evidence, PDI/campaign support, charging/thermal/12V diagnosis, tyres/brakes/suspension/HVAC, fleet mobile triage and collision isolation. Keep fixed-charger work with qualified electrical partners and pack opening behind a separate audited gate.

Use company-controlled technical governance inside a compliant managed partner site: two bays, appointment intake, separated quarantine, mobile reach and low inventory. Do not franchise until 12 audited months prove safety, first-time-fix, demand and economics.

The illustrative base case is 900 annual jobs at CRC205,000 ARO, 62% gross margin and CRC82 million opex, producing CRC32.39 million EBITDA and 3.70-year simple payback on CRC120 million capex. The cautious case loses CRC15.88 million, making signed utilisation the central gate.

The largest risks are denominator quality, warranty captivity, platform fragmentation, charging unreliability, incentive phase-down and battery/fire liability. Controls are binary: VIN file, anchor contracts, platform matrix, capped partner format, no pack opening and authorised custody routes.

The first month resolves stock, law and HSE; the second proves platforms, site and demand; the third runs controlled paid work. A pilot is an evidence programme with stop-loss rules, not a permanent opening disguised as testing.

No permanent lease until at least 34,000 active passenger BEVs are verified, 90 monthly jobs are contracted, 70% of reachable VINs are safely serviceable, every site/HV/fire/waste/insurance gate passes and the rebased base case clears zero 90-day EBITDA and four-year payback.

Costa Rican government, regulator, utility and legal sources were preferred. ASOMOVE supplies the most current category-defined registration series; secondary import analysis is used only for model prioritisation. Facts and EVS assumptions are separated, and material quantitative claims carry source IDs.

The registry records title, publisher, publication/access date, URL and definition notes. Passenger BEVs, all-class EVs, PHEVs and charging concepts remain explicitly different measures. Uncertainty is preserved rather than replaced with invented precision.

Conditional go to a reversible, company-controlled west/central GAM partner pilot; hold a standalone centre, pack opening and franchise rollout. Costa Rica has sufficient BEV scale and momentum for paid proof, but capital release depends on active stock, contracts, platform coverage, site/HV/fire, battery custody and economics.