What is the name of your organization?
E-UBÁ AMAZÔNIA - electric boats
What is the name of your solution?
Electrifying Amazon Rainforest
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Electric boats with solar charging stations empowering the Amazon Rainforest Guards by providing sustainable river transport and by electrification
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Manaus, AM, Brasil
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Brazil
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
The world is urgently seeking ways to mitigate climate change, and the Amazon Rainforest—along with its communities—plays a key role. It is a natural planetary cooler, holds 20% of the planet's freshwater, contains vast carbon stocks, is home to many diverse cultures, and less than 5% of its biodiversity is known to science today.
In the Amazon, rivers are the main transportation routes—but nearly all boats use fossil-fuel engines. These motors are expensive, polluting, and noisy, and their operation depends on fuel that can cost 2–3 times more in remote areas. This severely limits mobility, raises the cost of living, and contributes to environmental degradation and carbon emissions.
Over 30 million people live in the Brazilian Amazon (and 50 million in Pan Amazon), many in isolated riverine communities. With 27,000 km of navigable rivers (more than roads in São Paulo - largest city in the Southern Hemisphere). In Amazonas State (biggest Amazon’s state - 97% covered by the forest) 30% of population is only accessible by water and access to healthcare, education, trade, and basic services depends on river transport.
We target the root causes: no electricity, lack of clean, affordable propulsion systems; no local charging infrastructure; and absence of scalable alternatives.
What is your solution?
E-UBÁ AMAZÔNIA offers a complete electric mobility system for river transport in the Amazon. Our core solution includes an e-rabeta (a horizontal electric propulsion system), modular lithium batteries, and a solar-powered floating charging station. Designed specifically for small boats, the system replaces gasoline engines with efficient, quiet, zero-emission electric motors.
The motor is waterproof, compact, and built for the unique demands of Amazonian rivers. Batteries are modular, swappable, and include GPS tracking and smart monitoring. Charging can be done via solar energy or the grid, with quick battery exchange at our floating stations. A digital dashboard displays speed, battery level, temperature, and system status.
The solution is complemented by a rental model for batteries, motors, and chargers, making it affordable for low-income users. It’s a plug-and-play system, easy to install and maintain, and ideal for isolated communities.
Videos of E-ubá technology:
Demand for electric boats
https://youtu.be/j9KKXuSZEZQ
Electric long tail propulsion prototype
https://youtube.com/shorts/3Nnqk2ODRaM
Electric long tail propulsion next generation
https://youtu.be/G8kvb3J-Bvc?si=HtCeITUbTQpTKGvj
Electric solar boat in operation - Poraquê X
https://youtu.be/4sXTFCZjR4A
with 2 motors
https://youtube.com/shorts/N5trjVL0dws
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution serves ribeirinhos (riverine) communities, small-scale transport operators, fishermen, and ecotourism businesses across the Brazilian Amazon. These populations rely for mobility almost entirely on fossil-fuel-powered boats, which are expensive to operate, polluting, noisy, and mechanically complex. Fuel in remote areas can cost up to three times more than in urban centers, severely limiting access to education, healthcare, trade, and opportunities.
Our conversion kit composed of an electric propulsion system (“e-rabeta”, long tail horizontal propulsion), modular lithium batteries, together with solar-powered floating charging stations provide an affordable, sustainable alternative tailored to the local context. The system dramatically reduces dependency on fuel and maintenance costs - by up to 90%, while eliminating CO₂, oil and noise pollution in sensitive river ecosystems. The boats are silent, durable, and safe, improving health and quality of life while enabling economic resilience.
The solution also includes local training, technical support, and a replicable business model based on battery and motor rentals, making adoption feasible even for low-income families. By focusing on energy access and mobility together, E-UBÁ AMAZÔNIA directly empowers traditional communities and helps unlock the region’s bioeconomic potential, addressing main climate challenges.
