NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

It’s painful as an (admittedly fairweather) fan of the US team to acknowledge that even with all the gossip about how Brazil’s World Cup team is performing below expectations?they will still probably fly home with a sixth championship under their belts (I’ll refrain from making a joke about Ronaldo’s weight problems?here).? Friendly rivalry not withstanding, I’m hoping the international media will start to turn their attention to the undiscovered talent Brazil has to offer.? No I’m not talking about the next Freddy Adu – I mean that the country doesn’t just have the most successful soccer stars, it has the world’s most successful hybrid system as well, produced by Eletra Industrial.

I recently had the chance to catch up with Director Andre Neumann and I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that Brazil being an alternative energy leader would be home to a company that manufactures some of the most efficient and cost effective hybrids available today.? The Eletra team was inspired by the problems of rising energy prices and increasing congestion, especially in their hometown of Sao Paulo, to create a unique hybrid system that is much cheaper and better designed than the models being used in the US.? You can hear more about the revolutionary?technology and?strong impact that Eletra buses will have here – if you can manage to take a break between World Cup games.? With Eletra preparing to enter the US market and profits set to boom, Ronaldo’s waist size won’t be the only thing?achieving positive growth.? Okay, come on, I had to.