Although Brazil’s electric motorcycle market is still far from seeing mass adoption, it has experienced record figures in 2025, and in 2026, its year-to-date April sales have increased 33.9% from the same period last year. It is evident that these promising figures have been aided by the government’s green strategy, encouraging electric mobility.
The government’s green mobility programme, MOVER, was launched in 2024, providing significant tax incentives and fiscal support for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. Multiple regions (including Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais) also added to these measures with IPVA tax exemptions, favourable electricity tariffs, as well as urban access and parking benefits.
In 2025, the market experienced record sales with a 145% year-on-year increase to over 22,000 units. Meanwhile, the start of 2026, has also been reported as positive, with its year-to-date April sales reaching 7,502 units, an increase of 33.9% from the same period last year.
This growing popularity of e-motorcycles in Brazil has resulted in new manufacturers (mainly from China) investing in the region.
The motorcycle industry context in Brazil
Brazil’s motorcycle market is considered one of the fastest growing worldwide since Covid-19, with an appearance in the top 10 worldwide, shaped by the common use of bioethanol.
Although the government has launched its strategy to drive electric mobility as a key initiative, which has resulted in considerable growth for electric motorcycles, the adoption figures remain a limited proportion of the overall total motorcycle sales of 2.2 million units in 2025.
Potentials and barriers for electric motorcycle adoption
Brazil has around 90% renewable energy, which gives it a strong structural advantage for driving electrification.
The following barriers also need to be addressed to improve the encouragement of electric motorcycle adoption:
E-motorcycles have significant price premium over non-electric models
Many electric models offer limited range for longer commuting or delivery use applications which are significant needs for urban motorcyclists
Charging infrastructure is underdeveloped and has an uneven distribution, with public charging centres only present in a few large cities.
Brazil’s motorcycle market is showing signs of a shift towards greater adoption of electric models, with factors including the expansion of charging and battery swapping infrastructure helping to support a significant transformation in the country’s transportation sector.
Brazil has a strong motorcycle market, with figures for 2024 showing approximately 1.9 million units sold. Historically the uptake of electric models among the overall sales has been relatively modest, but figures published for the first quarter of 2024 revealed a 105% increase in the sales of electric motorcycles compared to the previous year. 3,452 units were sold, compared to 1,686 in the same period in 2023.
Brands such as VMoto have become popular, with urban electric motorcycles designed to give commuters and utility riders long ranges. Battery-swapping start-up Vammo, headquartered in São Paulo, reported in February 2025 that it had achieved 1 million battery swaps in just over a year. It is reported to have saved its customers a total of US $1.3 million in fuel costs, as well as prevented the release of 3,050 tons of CO2 emissions. It is also worth noting that Brazil’s electricity infrastructure is predominantly green, with 90% of the grid comprising renewable sources.
Brazil’s potential for electric motorcycle uptake has not gone unnoticed; Yamaha has announced a plan to launch and manufacture its Neo’s electric moped in Brazil, with production in Manaus.
Rafaela Aires starts her workday at 9:00 a.m., cycling through city streets along the Atlantic shoreline and under concrete overpasses. Previously, Aires collected bottles and cardboard in a hand-drawn cart. Today, they are transported in an electric tricycle’s cargo container as she moves through bike lanes.
As a long-standing catadora, or waste picker, in Fortaleza, Brazil, Aires recalls the social stigma surrounding her profession. Many catadores, like Musamara Pereira, have faced derogatory terms, such as “vulture” or “trash ripper,” and were not widely recognized as professionals. However, the work of catadores is crucial in Fortaleza, a city with limited waste and recycling infrastructure. Approximately 8,000 catadores operate informally, managing much of the city’s waste collection and recycling by selling collected materials to third parties.
Despite some efforts by the government to formalize this profession, catadores often face hazardous working conditions. Many work up to 18 hours a day, moving loads as heavy as 240 kilograms in hand-drawn carts, with their income varying based on what they can collect and sell. Monthly earnings for an average waste picker in Fortaleza are around R$300 (US$53).
The city’s limited recycling facilities contribute to accumulating rubbish on streets, only 6% of recyclables were processed in 2023, leaving areas cluttered with waste. According to a local restaurant owner, waste often remains part of the cityscape.
In recent years, Fortaleza’s waste management practices have seen incremental improvements due to Re-Ciclo, a project launched by the city’s Innovation Laboratory. This initiative, aimed at enhancing recycling and catadores’ working conditions, has introduced a fleet of electric tricycles to support door-to-door collection for the first time.
Re-Ciclo: Addressing Fortaleza’s waste challenges
Re-Ciclo seeks to improve Fortaleza’s recycling capacity and uplift its catadores. Through this initiative, catadoresnow collect recyclables along specific routes, stopping at homes and businesses that have requested pick-ups. The collected recyclables are taken to “Eco-Points,” centralised collection centres, where waste is sorted and prepared for sale to recycling intermediaries.
The program has also aimed to improve catadores’ working conditions. Electric tricycles enable workers like Raquel Silva, president of the Moura Brasil Waste Pickers Association, to complete 10-16 pick-ups in the time it previously took to complete 3-4 with a hand-drawn cart. Re-Ciclo tracks the recyclables collected along each route, allowing catadores to negotiate more stable pay based on collected data. Most workers now receive up to five times their previous income and benefit from transportation and meal vouchers, supporting better working conditions.
Developing Re-Ciclo with waste worker input
Re-Ciclo began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic when Fortaleza’s government sought to support catadores unable to work. The city’s Innovation Laboratory (LABIFOR) integrated catadores’ feedback to improve the design and implementation of the initiative. Through consultations, they developed the Eco-Points and introduced e-tricycles tailored to waste pickers’ needs, including lighter, more manoeuvrable designs that can carry up to 150 kilograms and operate at double the speed of hand-drawn carts. LABIFOR also provided personal protective equipment and training for catadores, addressing safety and operational needs.
To increase recycling participation, the city launched an app allowing residents to request pick-ups, while those outside service routes can bring waste directly to Eco-Points. Education campaigns further encouraged recycling among residents and businesses.
Scaling Re-Ciclo for broader impact
Since its launch, Re-Ciclo’s e-tricycles have helped transport 380 tons of recyclables in their first full year, contributing to a 541% increase in Fortaleza’s recycling rate. Luiz Alberto Sabóia, head of Fortaleza’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Foundation (CITINOVA), described it as a significant step for the city’s selective waste collection.
The program has also improved local perceptions of waste pickers, with residents increasingly engaging with catadores and using Re-Ciclo’s services.
Moving forward, Fortaleza plans to expand Re-Ciclo to 150 e-tricycles by December 2024, providing jobs for more than 200 catadores across all city districts. LABIFOR is also exploring solar-powered tricycles to further enhance efficiency. Re-Ciclo’s success has inspired neighboring cities and aligns with Brazil’s national waste management goals, which aim for 48% of waste to reach recycling centers by 2040.