Automotive energy transition: value chain analysis of electric bus production in Germany and Brazil

This thesis analyzes how the automotive energy transition is shaping the emerging production chain of electric buses in Brazil and Germany. The study proposes a comparative framework structured into six segments: supply of raw materials and critical components, onboard technologies, battery assembly and vehicle integration, charging infrastructure, fleet operation and maintenance, and reverse logistics and recycling. The research examines how industrial policies, regulatory instruments, and business strategies influence competitiveness and innovation capacity. Methodologically, it combines documentary analysis, policy tracing, and interviews involving manufacturers, suppliers, transport operators, and public institutions. The results show that national strategies follow distinct industrial trajectories and institutional capacities. Germany, supported by a traditional automotive industry and by the European Green Deal framework, seeks global technological leadership while facing vulnerabilities in access to critical natural resources and in the ability to produce battery cells at competitive prices. Brazil adopts a regional model oriented toward Latin America, combining local bus assembly with the import of high-value components, ensuring regional integration and the potential expansion of reverse logistics and recycling chains. The comparison highlights complementary trajectories. While Germany aligns industrial and technological innovation policies with access to critical materials, Brazil seeks to strengthen its domestic technological capacity. This convergence reveals opportunities for strategic partnerships in sustainable industrial integration.