‘Disruptive Vision’ Creates Brazil’s First Home-grown EV

‘Disruptive Vision’ Creates Brazil’s First Home-grown EV

Brazilian entrepreneur Flávio Figueiredo Assis aims to “change the course of history” by launching a uniquely Brazilian electric car. In this flex-fuel country, Assis will first produce a dual-powered hybrid that runs on an electric motor and also on petrol. The first Lecar 459 Hybrid prototype was completed in August; the commercial launch is set for 2026.

Lecar
The Lecar 459 Hybrid, Brazil’s first home-grown electric car. Powered by an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, the car features at least 65 percent Brazilian components. (Photo courtesy Lecar)

Brazilian entrepreneur Flávio Figueiredo Assis aims to “change the course of history” by launching a uniquely Brazilian electric car. First, Assis founded Le Card, a successful benefits card management company, which he sold in 2022 to create Lecar, the country’s first electric vehicle maker, inspired by billionaire Elon Musk, whose Tesla origin story is similar.

Brazil has been slow to adopt electric cars because the country is the world’s second largest producer of ethanol fuel, which in Brazil is made from sugarcane.

Most automobiles in Brazil run either on hydrous alcohol (E100) or on gasohol (E25 blend), as the mixture of 25 percent anhydrous ethanol with gasoline is mandatory in the entire country. As a result, Brazil is the seventh highest carbon emitting nation, with a footprint just a small fraction of the world’s top emitter, China.

Since 2003, dual-fuel ethanol flex vehicles that run on hydrous ethanol and gasoline have been gaining popularity in Brazil. These have electronic sensors that detect the type of fuel and adjust the engine combustion to match, so drivers can choose the cheapest fuel.

Flávio Figueiredo Assis in his office, Sao Paulo, Brazil, January 19, 2024 (Photo by M. Guarnier via Wikipedia)

Nevertheless, Assis is confident that Brazil will support Lecar electric vehicles. To familiarize the country with his new brand, the first car Assis will produce is a dual-powered hybrid that runs on both an electric motor and also on petrol. The first Lecar 459 Hybrid prototype was completed in August; the Lecar 459 Hybrid is set to launch commercially in 2026.

The electric motor will be powered by lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries from the Chinese company Winston Battery, which also supplies Volkswagen and Hyundai.

The internal combustion engine is a HORSE, a flex fuel powerhouse that burns both ethanol and gasoline made by a joint venture between the French company Renault and the Chinese company Geely.

“HORSE was a natural partner for Lecar’s new hybrid passenger car. Our HR10 range extender engine is already at the heart of a light commercial vehicle, built in our rapidly growing operation in Curitiba, Brazil, so it is proven technology in the market. Our footprint made us the perfect supplier for Lecar’s vision to create a truly home-grown Brazilian EV.” — Patrice Haettel, Chief Executive Officer, HORSE

HORSE was created to provide highly efficient, low-emission engines, transmissions, and technologies to meet a range of power generation needs around the world. HORSE operates eight production plants across seven countries, three R&D centers and a head office in Madrid, Spain; the company produces 3.2 million units per year.

Alongside HORSE’s HR10 engine, the Lecar 459 Hybrid will use an electric generator from the Brazilian company WEG, HORSE’s electric component partner for its fully-integrated light commercial vehicle Range Extender solution.

“Our team has an incredibly ambitious plan to develop and deliver the Lecar 459 Hybrid, Brazil’s first home-grown EV. To achieve this, HORSE is the ideal partner for us – along with being a world-class supplier of industry-leading combustion engines, HORSE’s production footprint in Brazil is in perfect alignment with Lecar’s vision to revolutionise the Brazilian car market with domestically produced solutions,” Assis said.

A Brand-New Factory for a Brand-New Brand

Lecar is building a new factory to produce the company’s electric and hybrid cars.

In addition to the Lecar 459 Hybrid, Assis plans a Lecar electric hatchback, expected to be priced reasonably – below R$100,000 (US$17,577).

On August 25 it was announced that Lecar will invest R$870 million (US$153 million) in Brazil and is planning to build its factory in the municipality of Sooretama, in the southern Brazilian state of Espírito Santo.

The city is only 25 km (15 miles) from Linhares airport and 100 km (60 miles) from the Espírito Santo port complex, which is responsible for nearly a quarter of Brazil’s exports and imports.

The Sooretama municipality contains part of the Sooretama Biological Reserve, a strictly protected conservation area created in 1982. It shelters Atlantic Forest trees over 30 metres (98 ft) high, many protected birds such as rare cuckoos, woodpeckers, and parakeets, and many other protected species such as: the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), cougar (Puma concolor), jaguar (Panthera onca), oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus), and ocelot (Leopardus pardalis).

To protect its sensitive location, Lecar says the factory will seek LEED GOLD and Green Seal certifications, aiming at safety, punctuality, productivity and waste reduction, in addition to generating solar energy and reusing rainwater.

The laying of the cornerstone is expected later this year, and the factory is scheduled to open in August 2026, with approximately 1,500 direct employees and 3,000 indirect employees producing an estimated 120,000 cars per year. The facility will feature a test track and strict production and quality controls.

Assis views himself as the ideal man for this challenging work.

“I HAVE SKILLS IN STRATEGIC PLANNING, NEGOTIATION, PROJECT MANAGEMENT, AND AN INNOVATIVE AND DISTRUPTIVE VISION OF THE MARKET. MY MISSION IS TO CREATE SOLUTIONS THAT SIMPLIFY PEOPLE’S LIVES, GENERATE VALUE FOR PARTNERS, AND CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT. I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, MOBILITY, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND I CONSTANTLY SEEK NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES.”
– Flavio Figueiredo Assis, Founder and CEO, Lecar

The company’s next move will be to send the Lecar 459 Hybrid to London, England, where it will undergo a series of approvals at LATIN NCAP, the New Car Assessment Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, going through impact, aerodynamic and safety simulator assessments.

The expectation is that the first vehicles will be manufactured in December this year. In 2025, the goal is to produce 300 vehicles per month, with revenues of US$200 million.

In five years, Assis intends to produce 50,000 Lecars annually, with US$15 billion in revenue.

The company intends to create a subscription plan, changing the culture from one of ownership to one of access and sharing, which it says are “the most sustainable ways of using cars.” The base subscription for the 36-month lease plan will be offered for approximately three percent of the sales price for a monthly mileage of 1,000 km (620 miles).

The company also plans to launch an urban version, the Lecar Pop, with a popular estimated price of just US$20,000, a range of 250km (155 miles) per charge, and cabin space for five passengers.

The company intends to install fast charging stations on the 10 largest highways in Brazil, totaling 36,437km (22,640 miles). With this plan, any electric vehicle will be able to travel across the entire country of Brazil. Stations will be strategically located every 200 kilometers (124 miles), allowing drivers to recharge their cars quickly, conveniently, and safely.

Funding the World's Latest EV Brand

Capital at Lecar is 100 percent in hand, but the expectation is that the company will carry out an initial public offering (IPO) by 2025, when shares of the private company will be made available to the public for the first time.

The planned investment is US$3 billion, and the money invested is expected to be drawn from private investors and the company’s own coffers.

“In addition to a project that favors mobility and sustainability, our objective is to create a perception of value for Brazil, just as we should always be perceived. We are the ninth economy in the world, passionate about cars and Formula 1. We have Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet and Emerson Fittipaldi, F1 champions, as our idols, and nevertheless we never had a national car manufacturer,” Assis urged. “Let’s change the course of history.”

Sources: Statements from: Flávio Figueiredo Assis, Patrice Haettel, and additional information from the Brazilian Electric Vehicle Association, Lecar, Robotic Vehicle Technology, Welectric, Electric Cars Report, Intelligent CIO, Industrial Equipment News, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Tags: Brazil, Brasil, car, electric car, ethanol, Flávio Figueiredo Assis, Lecar, Lecar 459 Hybrid, Sooretama, Espírito Santo, dual-fuel ethanol flex vehicles, ethanol, gasoline, petrol

By Sunny Lewis, journalist, founder of Environment News Service (ENS) at: ens-newswire.com, and expert in the field of sustainable mobility in the United States and around the Pacific Rim.

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