Rio de Janeiro is the first city in Brazil to open an electric charging station in a public area

The city of Rio took a historic step towards sustainable mobility this Saturday (February 15). The first electric charging station exclusively for electric and hybrid vehicles in a public space in Brazil was opened in Barra da Tijuca. The fast charging station is the result of the Eletroposto Carioca Project, developed by the company EZVolt, in partnership with the City of Rio and the C02 Cities network.

The Eletroposto Carioca is the city's first public electric station, part of the Sandbox.Rio project, developed by the City Hall, through the Municipal Secretariat for Economic Development, which focuses on innovation projects. Mayor Eduardo Paes participated in the launch ceremony alongside Deputy Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere and spoke about the city's support for new businesses.

– What the city government does is call on innovators: come here because we want to work with you. The city will support you, the city wants to be a laboratory for your experience, it wants you to make your business viable and identify new business opportunities for our city. Rio has many research and development centers, many good universities, and many people producing interesting things. And we here always want to be open to those who innovate, to those who invent and to those who create.

Also participating in the ceremony were the municipal secretary of Economic Development, Osmar Lima, the secretary of Government Coordination, Edson Menezes, and the deputy mayor of Barra da Tijuca, Leandro Marques, and representatives of C40 Cities and EZVolt.

EZVolt, a company specializing in electric charging infrastructure services and part of Vibra's renewable energy portfolio, had its project approved in the first cycle of Sandbox.Rio, coordinated by SMDE. The program is in its second cycle. Another example of a selected initiative is Whoosh, which operates scooters in the city.

A milestone for electromobility in Brazil

The launch of the electric station comes at a time of accelerated expansion of the electric and hybrid vehicle market in Brazil. According to the Brazilian Electric Vehicle Association (ABVE), the country registered the sale of 79.304 units in the first half of 2024, an impressive growth of 146% compared to the same period in 2023. In Rio de Janeiro, this movement is even more prominent: the capital of Rio de Janeiro already has more than 2.500 licensed electric vehicles, and the demand for charging infrastructure is growing at the same rate.

Secretary Osmar Lima highlighted the inauguration of the electric station as an important step in the city's sustainable development.

– Rio will lead the country’s sustainable development. The electrification of the fleet is an important part of this and having a network of electric stations is essential. We are opening the city’s first electric station, and this is being done within Sandbox.Rio, which is a platform for us to test technology and obtain data, so that when we set up a network of stations, we have the necessary information to do so safely.

The station has chargers with a power of 500 kW and recharging costs R$2,50 per kW/h. It operates 24 hours a day and the service is self-service.

This is the first of many electric charging stations planned for Rio, featuring innovations such as Grid Zero ultra-fast chargers, which operate without being connected to the electrical grid. With capacity for electric and hybrid vehicles, the project offers a practical and affordable solution, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting the strengthening of infrastructure for more sustainable urban mobility.

The initiative is aligned with the Sustainable Development and Climate Action Plan of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, which aims to make the city neutral in GHG emissions by 2050 and reach 40% of electric and hybrid vehicles in the fleet by the same year.

Furthermore, the project reinforces the strategic partnership between the City of Rio de Janeiro and C40, through the Laneshift initiative, which seeks to facilitate the transition of freight transport to electric vehicles in the Low Emission District (DBE).

Sandbox.Rio: legal security for those who want to innovate in the city

Sandbox.Rio is a program run by the City of Rio de Janeiro that allows for the testing of innovative solutions in a controlled environment, with legal certainty and real customers. The program seeks to reduce barriers to market entry for the safe implementation of technologies that do not fit into the pre-existing regulatory framework, in addition to providing important data to improve public policies and applicable regulations.

The Undersecretariat for Regulation and Business Environment (SUBRAN) will monitor the performance of the Eletroposto over the course of 12 months, collecting data to assess economic, social and environmental impacts. The results will serve as a basis for proposing regulatory improvements and supporting the City of Rio in expanding the electric charging network in the city.

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• CCPar
• Economic development
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February 15, 2025

Appointments: tijuca bar CCPar electropost SMDE