In Brazil, there is still the idea that an electric car (EV) is a “rich thing”. However, this reality is about to change. That’s what Diogo Seixas says to R7. He is president of Neo Charge, a company specializing in solar energy.
According to him, medium-sized cars will be priced similarly to conventional cars in “one or two years”. The category refers to vehicles larger than compacts and smaller than full-size.
According to 2022 data from Inmetro (National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology), these are examples of medium cars: Chevrolet Onix, Honda City and HB 20 (Ford).
Currently, according to the executive, EVs in this category are 20% more expensive than those powered by fossil fuels.
It is worth remembering that within the category of electrified cars there are three different models. They are: those that need to be charged at the outlet (plug-in hybrids), those that do not and hybrids, which mix gasoline (but mainly ethanol) with electricity.
As for the smaller ones, especially the compact ones, the electric models “will still take about three or four years” to reach price parity with traditional cars.
On the other hand, Diogo Seixas shows that zero kilometer luxury EVs already have “the same price” as non-electrified cars.
“If you go to the BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche store, you will see that the electric vehicle has the same price as the combustion vehicle”, says the leader of NeoCharge.
Scenario in Brazil
Electric car is a subject that gained strength in Brazil from the beginning of the 2000s. Despite the notoriety in newspapers and by public authorities, the vehicle is still little used by the population, proportionally.
According to a survey by ABVE (Brazilian Electric Vehicle Association), the electrified car totaled 4,500 units sold in January 2023. This number is equivalent to only 3.4% of passenger and light commercial vehicles in the country.
Until the first month of this year, the country had just over 124,000 EVs, according to NeoCharge. Of this total, one in three were from the state of São Paulo.
However, the numbers and experts indicate that the electric car should also dominate the market in Brazilas is the case in other countries.
According to Anfavea (National Association of Automotive Vehicle Manufacturers), 49,300 electrified vehicles in Brazil were licensed in 2022. It is the highest number in history for the branch.
In addition, total sales in the automotive market in January 2023 grew by 11.9% compared to the same month in 2022. The share of electrified vehicles, in the period, increased by 76%.
Compared to January 2021, EV growth skyrocketed by 241%. Data are from ABVE.
*Intern of R7under the supervision of Alexandre Garcia.
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