In 2021, Bernardo Urriza, an engineering major at the Tecnológico de Monterrey’s Mexico City campus, built an electric vehicle for his graduating thesis. He wanted to prove to himself that he could. “If a 21-year-old could do it out of his garage, it was possible,” he said. He collected huacales—wooden crates—for the car’s body, added foam, and played with the design. Working with classmates, Urriza used the electric motor of a golf cart for the engine, the bodywork of an old Volkswagen Beetle, and worked on the electric components (the computer, basically) to make it run. He named his prototype...