Previously empty, charging sockets located in supermarkets, malls and highways in São Paulo are already being disputed. In general, they are occupied by sport utility vehicles with plug-in hybrid engines, which cost no less than R$400,000. These are vehicles that do not depend on this energy to move around, since they can be fueled with gasoline.
It seems like a perfect world: in addition to not emitting pollutants when used, luxury jeeps have free electricity. But what will happen when cheaper models – and 100% electric – hit the market? Will there be outlets for everyone?
“Am I going from here to Manaus in an electric car? No, I will have difficulty. The infrastructure is starting to become more adequate in the Southeast and South, with expansion to the Midwest and Northeast”, says Rodrigo Aguiar, founding partner of Elev , a company specialized in energy supply solutions.
Infrastructure walks at a slower pace than sales in Brazil. Although the private sector is investing in charging points, the specifics of electrified vehicles demand more.
While a compact combustion car needs a minute or two to get its tank full, the batteries of an electric model of the same size can take from 30 minutes to 12 hours to be fully charged.
According to Anfavea (association of automakers), if Brazil wants to follow the global movement of electrification, it will be necessary to invest R$ 50 billion in infrastructure by 2035, with the installation of 150 thousand electric stations. These contributions would also impact suppliers and concessionaire networks.
Although massive electrification is something far away – Anfavea itself defends that ethanol is the best “green” solution for the country’s mobility – bottlenecks are beginning to appear due to the concentration of the plug-in and electric hybrid fleet. Sales occur in large urban centers, such as São Paulo and Curitiba.
Although volumes are not relevant compared to combustion models (only 2,860 electric passenger cars were sold in 2021, or 0.14% of the total), the fact that they are circulating on islands of greater purchasing power creates the problem.
Brenno Cavinato, a partner at consultancy VC One, says that electrified cars are starting to take over the premium model space, and this is a natural move by the industry.
“The market will change quickly, there are factories in the main markets that have already turned to electric”, says Cavinato.
For now, electric stations offer free service, but this business model will not be sustainable when 100% electric cars become widespread.
“There is no expectation of free energy forever, but electric car buyers today, as pioneers, are benefiting from the structure that is being created”, says João Henrique Garbin de Oliveira, general director of operations and innovation at Volvo Car. Brazil.
By necessity, the Swedish automaker is the one that invests the most in charging points in the country. The brand has already announced that, from 2030, it will no longer have vehicles with combustion engines in its portfolio. Two models have already been launched in Brazil: the XC40 luxury utility vehicles (R$400,000) and the C40 (R$410,000).
Volvo has already installed 1,000 outlets in malls, dealerships and markets throughout Brazil, and in December announced the creation of 13 electrical corridors connecting cities in the South and Southeast regions. Electric stations are already being installed.
This first phase covers 3,250 kilometers of highways. The company says that fast charging points will allow it to take batteries from zero to 80% capacity in 35 minutes. The last 20% is slower, to preserve the system.
As long as such runners are not available, traveling by car 100% will be an exercise in patience. During the evaluation of Volvo models and other cars in the same segment that passed the Folha-Mauá test, it became evident that the current structure is becoming insufficient.
In order for the cars to return from the ZF Automotive track in Limeira (160 km from São Paulo), where performance measurements are carried out, it is necessary to stop for charging at the EDP energy company’s charging station.
The outlets, which were installed in partnership with the Volkswagen group, are located on the Anhanguera highway (24 km from the test site) and are part of the Graal restaurant chain.
Among the options is a fast socket (150 kW), capable of filling the battery from zero to 80% in approximately 40 minutes. This charge is enough to travel 300 km with the Volvo C40.
On March 16, test driver Leandro Abranches arrived at the charging station at 11 am and found a Nissan Leaf, a Mini Cooper SE and a Renault Kangoo ZE van occupying three of the four spots. The available option was 22 kW. In this case, the time for full recharge increases to four hours.
Three days later, on a 90 km trip through the interior of São Paulo, it was necessary to recharge the Volvo again. The chosen location was the electric station installed by CPFL in another Graal chain store, on Bandeirantes highway, in Jundiaí. The equipment was supplied by ABB, a pioneer in the automotive charging sector on highways.
One of the two outlets was occupied by the Mini Countryman Hybrid, but the other outlet, which supplied approximately 50 kW (full charge in two hours), remained free.
Shortly after plugging in the C40, a driver pulled over a JAC E-JS1 electric compact (R$ 164.9 thousand) and waited for a space to recharge the car.
In other words, electric stations are already starting to be more disputed both on highways and in malls. In commercial establishments, sockets generally offer 7kW (charge from zero to 100% between 6 and 12 hours, depending on the capacity of the batteries).
According to Anfavea (association of automakers), those 2,860 electric cars sold last year represent an increase of 257% in the comparison between 2020 and 2021. The bases are still very shallow, but show the growing interest in this technology – mainly from companies who seek to “green” the fleet.
But those who are filling the charging spaces are, in fact, plug-in hybrid cars. Its batteries allow you to travel about 50 km on a charge, enough for everyday use. However, they require frequent stops so that it is not necessary to use the gasoline engine.
Volvo alone sold around 8,000 of these models throughout 2021. The BMW, Mini and Porsche brands also offer options of this type, in addition to 100% electric models.
Who doesn’t care about combustion is Tesla, which offers the most expensive model in its category in Brazil. The Model S Plaid costs R$1.7 million and has the equivalent of 1,034 horsepower. The brand is represented in Brazil by the Osten group.
Buyers of high-end electric cars have full support from automakers to install a residential charging point similar to the one offered in malls. In this case, it is possible to install solar panels, for example, to make the use even greener. It is a solution for those who live in houses.
But buildings prepared to receive electrical outlets are still rare, a scenario that tends to change. Since March 2021, municipal law No. 17,336 determines that new residential and commercial buildings registered with the São Paulo City Hall make charging solutions available.
Rodrigo Aguiar, from Elev, says that there are many doubts about how to install outlets for cars in old condominiums, and the questions involve paying the energy bill and distributing parking spaces.
“But a discussion that needs to be done before that is that charging points today have become a differential, they add value to real estate”, says the specialist.
Another concern is water crises, which create surcharges and can make recharging more expensive or restricted to times of lower energy consumption. But cars are suited to situations of this type, being able to have their batteries replenished at dawn.
With the current rates in force in the city of São Paulo, recharging an electric car at home costs much less than running a combustion car. A Renault Kwid (R$ 59.1 thousand), for example, spends the equivalent of R$ 38.77 to travel 100 kilometers with gasoline in urban traffic. The Fiat 500e (R$ 252.7 thousand) needs R$ 8.27 to cover the same distance in the city.
The calculations were based on the average price of gasoline in São Paulo between the 13th and 19th of March, according to the ANP (National Petroleum Agency). Consumption data were measured by Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia.
On the other hand, recharges away from home to travel longer distances will only be viable when there is a charge. In 2018, Aneel (National Electric Energy Agency) defined that the values must be stipulated by the service providers. It is therefore expected that the networks that sell fuels today will create solutions to serve their franchisees.
“The gas stations are the best retail points in Brazil, these entrepreneurs are guarantors of urban mobility, so they also have to play a leading role in electric mobility”, says Thiago Castilha, partner at E-Wolf Carregadores.
Castilha explains that these points need to be profitable for entrepreneurs. “Today, the biggest question of service station owners is how they will make the recharge profitable.”
Vibra Energia (formerly BR Distribuidora) has made billionaire investments to offer charging options at its stations, taking control of companies in the energy sector.
In January, Raízen (Shell network) announced an investment of R$ 10 million in Tupinambá Energia, a startup focused on infrastructure for vehicular electric recharging.
Tupinambá is also a partner of Carrefour Property. The network has five charging points in supermarkets, and there is a study to offer ten more points in São Paulo this first semester and another 25 points in the second semester in other cities in the country.
Actions like this focus on the ESG (environmental, social and governance) agenda. “The purpose is to invest in environmental issues, to reinforce the company’s sustainability pillar”, says Patrícia Lima, commercial manager at Carrefour Property.
As charging solutions are being established, dealers are starting to bet on electrified cars. Entrepreneur Alexandre Cassel, CEO of the Casco group, says there is great demand for plug-in hybrid models in Porto Alegre.
“These are cars that don’t spend anything in the city, I have customers who say they do 900 kilometers with a tank of fuel”, says Cassel.
The sale of 100% electric models is slower. “We have a great infrastructure and investment challenge. Today it is a problem to sell, I have a Porsche Taycan in the store for 90 days, and the Volvo XC40 has it for 45 days, while my average turnover is 29 days”, says the businessperson
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