Brazilian EV charging platform Tupinambá Energia (Tupi) is one of the largest service providers in the country's fast-growing electric mobility market, managing 1,500 of Brazil's almost 17,000 public charging points. The firm, which partners with major players like Shell and Chinese automaker BYD, already counts 230,000 registered users who have completed more than 1.3mn charging sessions, consuming a total of 26GWh of energy. Argus spoke with Tupi's founder and chief executive Davi Bertoncello about the main challenges and opportunities of Brazil's charging infrastructure and EV markets. Edited highlights follow.
What is your outlook on the growth of the EV charging infrastructure in Brazil?
Charging infrastructure growth is directly related to the number of EVs in the country. The International Energy Agency's (IEA) benchmark is 10 cars/charger; in Brazil, we are currently averaging an 18 to 1 ratio, meaning there is still a bit of a deficit.
By the end of this year, we expect to reach around 22,000 chargers in the country. From there, the trend is to keep pace with the growth of the EV fleet.
We went from 350 chargers in 2019 to around 12,000 in 2024, which shows the growth speed. The main expansion has occurred through DC (fast) chargers, which accounted for 60pc of the rise in the past 12 months, because they make more sense from an investment standpoint. DC chargers are currently growing at a rate of 10pc/month, which indicates a clear path for expansion. AC (slow) chargers grew by 14pc over the same period.
Is there a growth strategy targeting areas where charging infrastructure is still lacking? How is the decision made on where to install new chargers?
This is a classic "chicken and egg" dilemma — no one wants to be the first to invest. If there are no cars, no one wants to install chargers; if there are no chargers, people don't want to buy electric cars.
But I refute the claim that EVs aren't adopted beyond the capital cities, because most EV sales are actually happening in smaller towns in various regions across Brazil.
In fact, the growth of public charging infrastructure has occurred much more in the north, northeast, and central-west regions than in the more developed, urbanized south-southeast axis.
It's important to understand the nature of charging in each region, however. For example, 87pc of the Brazilian population lives in houses, which allows for home charger installation directly in garages — so, you cannot automatically assume that selling a car in a more isolated area means you need to install a public charger there. In regions with a higher concentration of apartment buildings, the need for public chargers is greater than the one in more remote areas.
What are the biggest challenges to scaling and expanding Brazil's charging infrastructure?
There's a myth, sort of a "fake news", that there is a lack of energy in Brazil. The issue, however, isn't a shortage of energy, but rather low voltage availability in certain regions.
The process to convert a low-voltage environment to high voltage can take up to six months, which creates a huge bottleneck for scaling. This mainly affects fast chargers, since slower chargers can operate with low voltages without major issues — except when many chargers are running simultaneously in the same location.
On average, a facility in a low-voltage area can operate up to 30kWh. Beyond that, it needs to switch to high voltage, and that is where the hurdles begin.
Money, on the other hand, ceased to be a problem. Back in 2019, with R1mn, we could install one fast charger; today, with the same amount, we can install between 7 and 10. The payback is happening more quickly now.
Why do you think EVs have been so well received in Brazil, especially compared to other countries in Latin America?
In the beginning, there was a lot of effort to attract buyers by explaining concepts like efficiency and sustainability, but today, the success has come mainly from the financial viability of EVs.
For drivers who cover long distances daily — such as ride-share drivers — the difference in energy versus fuel costs results in average savings of around R2,500/month ($465/month), which is extremely attractive. EVs have also become much cheaper than they used to, reaching price parity with several of Brazil's best-selling gas-powered cars.
In addition, Brazil has a very clean and relatively affordable energy matrix, comparable only to that of Uruguay. But unlike Uruguay, Brazil is very big: a market of 200mn people, an automotive industry that has been established since the 1950s and the capacity to export regionally.
All of these factors combined create an environment where Brazil has a real opportunity to be a global leader in electric mobility.
