Border Chocolate – The Second Life Economy of Cars

This documentary uncovers the complex journey of secondhand vehicle exports between the United States and Mexico—a trade that profoundly influences mobility, economics, and the environment in both nations. With approximately 1.4 million vehicles crossing the border annually, many of them introduced informally and colloquially referred to as "carros chocolate", these cars become indispensable to daily life in Mexico while sparking critical questions about long-term sustainability.
As hybrid and electric vehicles sales increase in the US and begin entering the second-hand export flow, the narrative spotlights a growing environmental challenge: the disposal and recycling of spent batteries. These components, laden with toxic materials, pose significant risks to land and water pollution in regions ill-equipped with the necessary infrastructure for safe handling. The film explores the tension between the promise of cleaner technologies and the unintended consequences of inadequate end-of-life management in communities reliant on used cars.
Through the voices of everyday users, mechanics, scrapyard workers, and binational environmental experts, the documentary underscores the urgent need for robust regulatory frameworks, sustainable recycling practices, and international cooperation to ensure the responsible management and reintegration of critical minerals into North American battery supply chains. It invites audiences to reflect on the broader implications of transitioning to electric mobility in a transnational context, where gaps in infrastructure and policy risk undermining progress toward a cleaner, more equitable future.
The film draws from original fieldwork by Francisco Parés Olguín, conducted as part of his graduate research on the U.S.–Mexico used vehicle trade.