Eletra To Invest R$ 22 Million in Its New Electric Bus Assembly Factory in São Bernardo do Campo (SP)

Eletra Announced Million-Dollar Investment to Start Construction of Its New Electric Bus Factory in SP. The Expectation Is to Produce 1,800 Vehicles Per Year and Generate Hundreds of Jobs.

Eletra will invest R$ 22 million in its new factory by the end of the first quarter of 2023. The electric bus assembly unit will be installed in a new location in São Bernardo do Campo (SP). About R$ 10 million of this total investment has already been applied to the acquisition of the new building. The remaining R$ 12 million will be allocated to financing the purchase of new equipment and manufacturing for the electric bus production unit.

São Bernardo do Campo (SP) Factory Promises to Generate Over 150 Direct Jobs

According to Eletra’s Executive Director, Iêda de Oliveira, after the investment is finalized, the company plans to reach a nominal production of 1,800 vehicles per year. The increased capacity, along with the hiring of 150 employees that will occur in December, serves as preparation for the company to also start exporting its electric buses.

Currently, Eletra only meets the demands of the domestic market. According to the executive in an interview earlier this month, during Lat.Bus Transpúblico, a transportation fair held at São Paulo Expo, Eletra is preparing to be a major Brazilian electric bus manufacturer. The company has lost significant ground in South America to rivals from other markets.

Recomendado para você

Oil and Gas

Major Oil, Gas, and Energy Event Will Take Place in Brazil: Macaé Energy Will Gather Petrobras, Equinor, Prio, Among Other Suppliers and Energy Executives for Business, Networking, and Employment Opportunities

The Technical Agenda and the Fair in the City of Macaé Should Boost Discussions on Investments, Energy Transition, and Development of the Oil, Gas, and Energy Chain in the National...

Paulo Nogueira

1

To meet this market, the company will launch five models of electric buses by the end of 2022, one with 12 meters and capacity to transport 70 passengers, models with 12.8 meters for 80 passengers, another 15 meters for 101 passengers, models for 150 passengers, and finally, one 10-meter model that can carry up to 54 passengers. All equipped with Caio body and chassis that can vary between Scania and Mercedes Benz models.

Electric Bus Unit Will Have Gradual Production

Eletra started its operation in Brazil in a smaller factory, also located in São Bernardo do Campo, in the Montanhão neighborhood. According to the Executive Director, the new unit will likely start manufacturing from next September, slightly beyond the initially set deadline, which indicated August as the start month for the new unit’s production.

The production pace will be gradual until reaching a target of 150 units per day. Iêda states that initially, the production will be 5 electric buses per day, then increasing to 7 and expanding later according to the chassis deliveries from manufacturers. The company’s production process works according to the following flow: Once an order is placed by the transport operator, the company does not request the chassis from the manufacturer and the body from other builders.

Once the chassis and bodies are integrated, the buses are transported by car carriers to the factory located in the ABC Paulista, where the electric powertrain installation takes place, which is currently supplied by the Brazilian WEG along with the battery packs.

Get to Know Eletra

Eletra is a Brazilian company that has been developing and integrating traction systems for electric trucks and buses for over 3 decades.

In 1999, it was responsible for producing the first hybrid electric bus with national technology and is currently a reference in Brazil and other countries in sustainable public transport, producing electric buses in trolleybus, hybrid, and pure electric versions.