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.