
Eletrocar – Electric cars grow 25% worldwide. In 2024, 17.1 million units were sold.
In Brazil, 177.3 thousand cars were sold.
by Joel Leite
After a year marked by (fake) news about the decline in sales of electric cars, the global balance of 2024 revealed a surprising (for skeptics) growth in the sector. With sales of 17.1 million units worldwide, electric cars (pure and hybrid) grew by 25% compared to the previous year. In Brazil, the growth was even more expressive, with an increase of 88.8% and 177.3 thousand cars sold. And 2025 continues in the same way, as you will see later.
China registered a 40% increase in sales, and the United States grew 9%, but Europe had a 3% decline compared to 2023. The rest of the world saw growth of 27%, according to data from British consultancy Rho Motion.

In China alone, there will be 25 million this year
The Chinese appetite seems to have no limits. According to the Financial Times, China will produce more electric cars than combustion-powered cars this year, thanks to the government’s push for production with the aim of accelerating the transition to electrification.
The country is expected to sell 12 million electric cars in 2025, a significant increase, more than doubling the volume in just three years (there were 5.9 million electric vehicles in the country in 2022).
In Brazil, growth is higher than average
While the total market grew 8% this year in Brazil (January-February), electrified cars grew 45.6%, with 32,739 units licensed in the first two months.
“The steady growth of electrified vehicles continues to be driven by increased consumer awareness of the environmental and financial benefits of electrification”, says Ricardo Bastos president of ABVE, highlighting that the growth of public electric charging infrastructure has given consumers more confidence. The number of charging points jumped to 14,827 units in February.

Brasília is the second largest “electric” city
The state of São Paulo continues to lead the way in electromobility in Brazil, with 32% of total sales in 2024 (56,819), and the city of São Paulo is responsible for 24,435 units. But Brasília stands out as the second city with the highest consumption of electrified cars, with 16,061 last year. Rio de Janeiro (7,864 units), Belo Horizonte (6,226) and Curitiba (6,182) complete the Top Five.
BYD ship brings another 5,500 cars
If it depends on the ambition of the Chinese, growth has no boundaries. The huge ship of the Chinese company BYD, Explorer No 1, docked at the port of Portocel, in Aracruz, Espírito Santo, last February, bringing another batch of 5,500 electric and hybrid cars to the Brazilian market. The Dolphin, Song and Yuan models arrived. Even with the start of national production scheduled for the next few months, in Bahia, BYD already has five more vessels planned for the next two years.

Tax now!
The car manufacturers based in Brazil were the ones who were bothered by the arrival. Anfavea, the manufacturers’ association, issued a statement expressing its “concern” about the arrival of Chinese cars and asking the government to immediately apply the 35% import tax rate to hybrid and electric vehicles. The forecast is to reach 35% only in July 2026.
Abeifa, the manufacturers and importers’ association, defended the maintenance of the rules of the game: “Protectionist policies do not bring benefits to Brazil”, says the president of the entity.
While the total market grew 8% this year in Brazil (January-February), electrified cars expanded by 45.6%, with 32,739 units licensed in the first two months.
Electric cars are more energy efficient

Electric cars emit zero emissions into the atmosphere. But electricity has another important advantage over gasoline and diesel: it is more energy efficient.
Energy efficiency is the rational and optimized use of energy to perform a given task; it is when you use less energy to obtain the same result, reducing costs and environmental impacts.
The gasoline engine has an efficiency of around 40%, that is, of each liter of gasoline that you put in your car’s tank, only 400 milliliters will be used. Most of the cost of producing gasoline, from the oil to the gas station (oil exploration, refining, storage, distribution, service, etc.) goes to waste and is not used.
The energy efficiency of electricity in vehicles is over 95%, providing lower greenhouse gas emissions throughout the production process, reducing environmental impact and conserving natural resources.
Benefits to the consumer
Because they offer all these advantages, electrified cars receive some benefits from the government, which seeks to disseminate the technology with the aim of reducing pollutant emissions and promoting a more sustainable future.
Several states in Brazil offer tax incentives for owners, such as exemptions or discounts on IPVA (Vehicle Property Tax) and, in the case of the city of São Paulo, exemption from vehicle rotation. The benefits vary: in Brasília, the city with the second largest number of licensed electric cars, there is a total exemption from paying IPVA.
In Alagoas, owners of electric cars are exempt for the first year. In subsequent years, the payment is gradually reduced. Hybrids start by paying 0.75% of the market value. Several states exempt or give discounts for electrified cars and some exemption from ICMS (Vehicle Information System) and reduction in licensing fees.
Second-hand battery becomes charging station

A company from the interior of São Paulo has developed an electric charging station that uses second-hand batteries and can be installed anywhere, which gives a longer life to vehicle batteries after ten years of use for mobility, which have lost their original capacity, but are still useful for stationary use, as they maintain between 70% and 80% of their capacity.
The first electric charging station of this type was installed at the Land Rio dealership, in Rio de Janeiro. The station uses solar energy captured by photovoltaic panels, which is stored in the discarded battery for use in mobility.
New automaker will expand supply of electric buses
The growing demand for zero-emission vehicles is shaking up the market. TEVX Higer Bus is the latest Chinese company to invest in the sector: it announced investments of BRL600 million in a factory in São Paulo to produce electric buses.
Initially, it will assemble the buses using the SKD (Semi-Knocked Down) system, but with the expectation of local production. Scania, Electra, BYD and the bodybuilders Caio and Marcopolo already produce electric buses in Brazil.
Jaecoo 7, another electric car is coming
And the news just keeps coming. Another electric car is coming to the market, expanding the offer of this new technology. The Jaecoo 7 is a plug-in SUV from the Chinese company Omoda Jaecoo, which belongs to Chery. It is built on the platform of the Tiggo 7, from Caoa. It has a 1.5 turbo engine with 135 horsepower plus two electric motors of 204, with a total of 339 horsepower, which guarantees a range of 1,200 km.

New BYD recharges 400 km in just five minutes
The 800V and 900V architectures dominate the market in ultra-fast charging, but BYD has raised the bar and presented the Super e-Plataform, with 1,000V, capable of charging the battery in just five minutes (the same time it takes to fill the tank of a combustion car), guaranteeing a range of 400 km.
The new platform reduces heat generation and system stress, increasing battery life. The first to receive the new technology will be the Han L and Tang L.
Source: Eletrolar News Magazine – Ed. #166