To contribute to the supply of electricity for vehicles in Brazil, four companies came together to launch Rota Sul: The first private network of charging stations with fast chargers connecting the capitals and important cities of the Southern Region in Brazil. The partnership project between Movida, Nissan, Rede de Postos SIM, and Zletric foresees the installation of nine charging points.
Rota Sul aims to provide a safe payment solution on the highway, and all devices will be inside SIM Network gas stations so that the electric car user can travel without worry.
Pedro Schaan, CEO, Zletric, said: “Electric mobility is already part of our daily lives. It is not the future anymore, but it is the present. Many cities already have electric car chargers. Now we want to offer this ease and tranquility on Brazilian roads.”
There will be five fast chargers, a 60Kw model with CCS and Chademo connectors. In Rio Grande do Sul, there are already fast chargers in São Sebastião do Caí, Gravataí, Gramado and Três Cachoeiras. Laguna, in Santa Catarina, will also have a power station. Four other cities will have operational power stations: Caxias do Sul (RS), Bento Gonçalves (RS), Itajaí (SC) and Araquari (SC).
The fast chargers at the Posto SIM Retro, located on the highway that connects the Rio Grande do Sul coast to the capital, are already available for users. According to Schaan, the idea is that by the end of the year, Rota Sul will serve all three states in the Southern region.
With the project, it will be possible to leave São Paulo (SP) and go to Punta del Este, in Uruguay, with the certainty that there will be fast chargers for electric vehicles every 200 km.
The charging stations will be implemented in the SIM Networks gas stations, as they are safe, with great structure and consumption options for the period in which the vehicle charges.
Diego Argenta, Retail Manager, Rede SIM, said: “We seek to follow mobility trends to provide what people need. Electric cars are already a reality, and the goal of our investment is to meet the needs of those on the road who need easy charging.”
The investment is private. As the cost of a fast charger is high, this partnership made the project viable. In this first phase, the investment was about R$2.4 million.
“It is a worthwhile investment, but it will make a difference to the democratization of the electric car in the country”, said the CEO of Zletric.
Movida, a car rental company, was the first in the industry to move forward in electrifying its fleet and making electric vehicles available.
Renato Franklin, CEO, Movida, said: “Developing the mobility ecosystem is one of our goals, and with this partnership, we will contribute to increasing the supply of payment infrastructure, as well as removing and implementing the culture of electric vehicles in the country, including the southern region that houses more than 22 stores of our brand. The mobility solutions from Movida align with environmental preservation.”
For Nissan, manufacturer of the first electric vehicle produced on a large scale in the world and available in Brazil since 2019, the Nissan LEAF, Rota Sul reinforces the goal of contributing to electric mobility.
Humberto Gomez, Marketing Director, Nissan Brazil, said: “Our commitment to electrification goes beyond providing electric vehicles in the country. Our mission is to develop this new mobility culture through agreements that encourage the use of electric vehicles and support the research of technologies and solutions related to electricity.”
Get to know the companies that have joined together to make Rota Sul a reality:
Zletric
Zletric was established in 2019 to solve the problem of charging electric and hybrid vehicles in Brazil. Since then, it has continued on the mission of being present in as many places as possible and providing electric transport users with greater mobility, lower cost and freedom of movement.
Movida
Movida is a car rental company that offers innovative solutions for urban mobility. A pioneer in offering services such as monthly rentals for individuals, Wi-Fi in the car, prepayment and chatbot on social networks, it was the first rental company in the country to go beyond vehicles, helping to revolutionize the rental sector in Brazil.
In Brazil, it was the first company to have a program like Carbon Free, which neutralizes the CO2 emissions of its car rentals, besides being the rental company with the largest fleet of electric cars available.
Nissan
Nissan, one of the largest vehicle manufacturers in the world, has been present in Brazil since 2000 and currently operates with more than 180 dealerships in all states of the country.
The company has invested R$ 2.6 billion in its Industrial Complex in Resende, in Rio de Janeiro. This industrial unit was inaugurated in April 2014 and can produce 200,000 cars and 200,000 engines annually. The industrial unit currently manufactures the New Nissan Kicks and the 1.6 16V flex-fuel engine. Nissan has around 2,000 direct employees in Brazil.
Rede SIM
The SIM companies, founded by the brothers Neco and Deunir Argenta, in 1985, in Flores da Cunha (RS), currently have 155 gas stations and 4,000 employees in retail.
It is the largest retail chain of gas stations and convenience stores in Brazil, with units in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná. SIM reaches 37 years with services and products far beyond gas stations. Aiming to make life easier for people on the move every day, it provides a complete infrastructure to meet customer needs.
