Brazil, a nation renowned for its vast landscapes and vibrant urban centers, is a fascinating case in the worldwide adoption of electric two-wheelers. Despite a robust two-wheeler market, with sales reaching approximately 1.9 million units in 2024, the adoption of electric motorcycles has been relatively modest. However, recent developments signal a shift towards electrification is gaining momentum and that the country is on the cusp of a significant transformation in its transportation sector.

That would come as welcome news, considering Brazil’s electric grid is already comprised of 90% renewable energy, making it ideal for a shift away from noisy, polluting motorcycles and towards electric alternatives.

In the first quarter of 2024, electric motorcycle sales in Brazil experienced a remarkable 105% increase compared to the same period a year before, totaling 3,452 units sold.  This surge is attributed to a combination of factors, including heightened environmental awareness, urban congestion challenges, and the expansion of charging infrastructure.

The absolute sales numbers are small, sure. But that the rate of sales is increasing is a positive sign. And as InsightEV pointed out, despite the vast size of Brazil, with the 5th largest landmass in the world, the population of over 200 million is largely congregated along the eastern coast, with many in cities ideal for electric motorbike use.

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Several companies are at the forefront of this electric mobility wave. Manufacturers like VMoto offer urban electric motorbikes designed with long ranges for commuters and utility riders, which have become the #1 bestselling electric models in Brazil. Local companies like Auper claim they’ll be able to offer homegrown high-performance electric motorcycles. At the same time, local startups like Vammo, which offers Gogoro-style battery swapping, have made those electric motorbikes even more useful by removing the need to charge their batteries. Instead, riders roll up to battery swap stations and ride away with a fully charged battery in less than a minute.

International players are also recognizing Brazil’s potential in the electric two-wheeler market. Yamaha, for instance, has announced plans to launch its Neo’s electric scooter in Brazil, marking its first electric scooter manufactured in the country. Production is set to commence in Manaus, leveraging the city’s strategic location and industrial capabilities.

As Brazil navigates this transition, a combination of government support, technological innovation, and market demand positions the country to become a significant player in the global electric motorcycle landscape. The coming years will be pivotal in determining the trajectory of electric mobility in Brazil, with implications for environmental sustainability and urban transportation efficiency. But with a large population concentrated in many coastal cities and a national grid that is almost completely based on renewable energy, few other countries currently such drastic advantages of two-wheeled electrification compared to Brazil.

Tesla has started testing its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas without safety drivers over the last few days, according to Elon Musk.

The automaker reportedly aims to launch its robotaxi service on June 12.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Tesla had yet to start testing its planned robotaxi service in Austin without safety drivers.

It was worrying a month away from the start of the service and in comparison to Waymo, which tested its system with safety driver for 6 months and without safety drivers for another 6 months before launching in Austin earlier this year.

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Now, CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the previous report was true as he announced that Tesla has been testing the service with “no one in driver’s seat” only for the “past several days”:

For the past several days, Tesla has been testing self-driving Model Y cars (no one in driver’s seat) on Austin public streets with no incidents. A month ahead of schedule.

He claimed that it is “a month ahead of schedule”, but he has also said that Tesla would launch the service to paid customers in June.

If true, it would imply that Tesla didn’t plan to test the service without a safety driver in the vehicle.

The CEO then added that Tesla will deliver a car to a customer from the factory using self-driving next month:

Next month, first self-delivery from factory to customer.

Tesla is planning to launch a small fleet of 10 to 20 Model Y vehicles for its robotaxi service in Austin next month.

Bloomberg recently reported that Tesla is aiming for June 12, but the date could change.

The service is expected to be using “heavy teleoperation.” Musk nor Tesla confirmed the level of teleoperation, but it could be significant as one teleoperator per car.

Over the last few days, several reports came out pointing to Tesla not having communicated important part of the planned rollout of the service to local authorities.

Electrek’s Take

At this point, I think this is either going to be fake, meaning an extremely high level of teleoperation, or a complete shit show, or both.

Musk claims to be “a month ahead of schedule” even though Tesla started testing its service without safety driver about 2 weeks before the planned start of the service. That’s ridiculous.

It’s not victory to have “no incidents” after a few days of testing. You need to have no incidents over months of testing and hundreds of thousands of miles before launching.

At this point, I’m praying that Tesla is launching this in a small geo-fenced area without highways or any high speed driving to limit potential dangers and to ensure teleoperators can increase safety. But even then, I fear there will be avoidable crashes.

Tesla’s sales have fallen 87% in Quebec in the first quarter 2025 compared to the same period last year.

The critical Canadian market has been wiped out, and Tesla is no longer importing new vehicles.

Quebec is the leading EV market in Canada, with the highest adoption rate of new electric vehicles.

That’s due to incentives, cheap hydro electricity, and a strong base of EV enthusiasts.

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As the EV leader in North America, Quebec became an important market for Tesla.

However, Tesla’s market in Quebec is now gone.

We don’t have all Canadian data for vehicle registrations in the first quarter; however, Le Devoir managed to obtain data for Quebec from the Société d’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), which revealed that Tesla delivered only 524 vehicles in Quebec during Q1 2025.

That’s down 87% compared to Q1 2024.

The pause in the Quebec and federal EV incentive programs contributed to the sharp decline, but the pause also happened in the quarter, which helped sales by creating urgency to buy and take delivery.

However, it also created an awkward situation for Tesla in which it was accused of filing thousands of questionable requests for incentives worth $42 million CAD, which it later claimed was a backlog of deliveries that it hadn’t filed yet.

This controversy added to growing brand damage for Tesla in Quebec and the broader Canada due to its CEO Elon Musk’s backing of Donald Trump, who is openly calling for the US to annex Canada.

Tesla’s Canadian Troubles are not over

While Q1 2025 was bad, Q2 could prove even worse. Tesla had to increase prices in Canada in April due to the Canadian government slapping 25% tariffs on its vehicles in response to Trump’s trade war.

The combination of the end of some incentive programs, the higher prices, and the degrading sentiment for Tesla in Canada and Quebec is leading to very few sales in the market.

A source familiar with the matter said that Tesla doesn’t plan to import more vehicles in the country this quarter due to low demand.

The broader EV market in Canada declined 45% in Q1 due to the pause in the incentive program, but Tesla’s decline was much sharper, indicating larger issues than just the lack of incentives.

Electrek’s Take

The situation for Tesla in Canada is even worse than in Europe right now. It’s not the largest market in terms of size, but it has a significantly higher EV adoption rate than the US and has helped Tesla in North America.

As long as the tariffs are in place, there’s little hope for Tesla in Canada.

Even if they are removed, which I hope happens soon, as it would mean a de-escalation of Trump’s dumb and illegal trade war, Tesla is still going to have major brand issues due to Musk’s backing of Trump and him saying some foolish things like “Canada is not a real country.”

All of those factors add to Tesla’s aging and limited lineup, which too heavily relies on Model Y, which had a refresh that wasn’t significant enough to revitalize sales.

It’s really hard to be optimistic about Tesla right now.

In Canada, Tesla currently has some inventory of the new Model Y, which it managed to secure before the tariffs. If you’re interested in a Cybertruck, there are plenty available. Although, I have a feeling that you are better off waiting a bit as I assume prices will come down.