Earlier this month, Cleantech Group launched the inaugural LATAM Cleantech 25, a list of 25 private companies in sustainable innovation with potential to significantly impact the Latin American region and beyond in the next five to ten years. The list is compiled by merging insights from the LATAM Cleantech 25 expert panel, who regularly engage with regional innovators, with data from the Global Cleantech 100 process. The full report provides an in-depth analysis of each company and offers valuable market insights from Cleantech Group analysts.

LATAM 25 Innovators by Sector

The cleantech innovation ecosystem in Latin America is growing and so, now is the time to bring a global spotlight to solutions that are poised to solve regional challenges in Latin America today, but tomorrow can be scaled to global markets.  The urgency faced and answered by Latin America’s cleantech innovators is a lesson for the world in the attitude that will be necessary to meet the next phases of the climate change fight.

Innovative Solutions in Latin America

Heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) are a small percentage of the global fleet, but account for 25% of global transportation emissions. While passenger EV uptake is building momentum, global electric HDV adoption lags. Several Latin American countries have emerged as early global leaders in electric HDV deployment, namely Chile and Colombia, both of whose electric bus fleets were among the largest in the world in 2020. Uptake has been driven by strong local and national fleet electrification mandates, tender incentives for electric buses to unlock additional capital and reduce costs for operators and government actors. 

There is only one Transportation & Logistics innovator featured in the LATAM 25, electric bus developer Reborn Electric Motors.

The founders of Reborn Electric Motors initially intended to provide retrofit services to accelerate the deployment of electric buses in Chile and reduce the cost of meeting electrification targets for the public transportation fleet. However, as local regulatory frameworks were not in place to enable ICE-to-electric retrofitted vehicles to operate on public roads, Reborn Electric Motors was established as a designer and developer of electric buses designed for rural, industrial, and other extreme environments.

Proprietary elements for Reborn Electric Motors include overall system design, component integration, control systems, and component manufacturing processes. Manager Pablo Bravo notes that, “Our differentiation lies in offering electric buses with bodies already known in the Latin American market, focusing on challenging environments.” Current products range from 24-42 passenger buses with a range of 200 kilometers per charge and charging time from 45 — 90 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, one of the main challenges and sources of competition for innovators in the Latin American electric mobility spaces comes from China. In this case, Bravo notes that the price gap is closing between Reborn´s models and lower-cost Chinese imports, but local innovators must ensure higher quality products tailored to local conditions and use-cases in order to justify the higher price tag to customers. Reborn Electric has established a reputation of providing high performance vehicles in extreme environments, solidified by a series of tests in Antarctica in collaboration with Aerovías DAP. After several months, the airline announced the official incorporation of Reborn Electric buses into their Antarctica fleet.  

Reborn Electric Motor’s Bus On-site in Antarctica

Source: Gentileza

From Chile to Antarctica: Current and Future Markets

The initial target market of Reborn Electric has been local private passenger transport operators like Link+, transport operator for Codelco´s El Tenient Division engaging in underground copper mining operations. Consolidation of the Chilean market and engaging more rural public transport operators are key targets while beginning to establish an international presence. Earlier this year Reborn inked its first international deal to export electric buses to Brazil. Paraguay, Pero, and Costa Rica will also be initial targets for establishing local partners and new contracts.

Reborn is also engaging with the hydrogen market. In mid-2024 Reborn joined with AngloAmerican, Colbún, and Corfo to design and develop the first hydrogen bus in Chile to enter into operation in early 2025. Additional strategic partners include the Centro National de Pilotaje (CNP) and Fundación Chile.

Reborn Electric Motor’s Hydrogen Bus Mock-up

Source: Gobierno de Chile