BNDES approves R$ 879.4 million for electric bus fleet in São José dos Campos

The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) has approved R$ 879.4 million in financing for Green Energy S.A. to acquire 400 electric buses for the public transport system in São José dos Campos, São Paulo. This initiative is part of a larger municipal plan to replace 100% of the city's bus fleet with electric models, with deliveries scheduled to be completed by June 2027.

The total investment for the project is estimated at R$ 1.139 billion. The financing was approved through the BNDES Pró-Transporte program, which is linked to the federal government's Novo PAC and utilizes resources from the FGTS. Green Energy S.A. won the bidding process to lease the vehicles to the municipal company Urbam.

The project includes the development of charging infrastructure, with plans to distribute 156 chargers across nine recharging yards. While some infrastructure is already operational, the full implementation of the charging network is expected to be completed by 2028. BNDES President Aloizio Mercadante noted that this marks the first project approved by the bank to completely replace a city's fleet with domestically manufactured electric buses.