Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan, Renault
Portugal looking to improve, joins Project Better Place
Project Better Place is set to expand beyond Israel and Denmark with an agreement for Portugal to join the electric vehicle infrastructure project. Portugese Prime Minister Jose Socrates will soon sign on to the plan that will use electric cars from Renault and Nissan. Part of Project Better Place involves setting up networks of public charging points and battery exchange stations. Utility company Energias de Portugal SA is working with other European utilities to create the Grid for Vehicles charging network. Renault and Nissan are expected to spend $500 million to $1 billion on developing vehicles for the project. Portugal's investment in the program is not known.
[Source: Forbes]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Francis 5:38PM (7/03/2008)
Considering Portugal is the least environmentally concerned country in (atleast) Europe, it is a step in the right direction. Though with all the sun that falls in Portugal (More than the rest of Europe) it is pathetic that only now it is coming into potential use, and of course only in the private sector as the same with its largest solar array farm in the Alentejo. Yet only around 12 to 18 % of all homes have solar heating installed and even less with Photovoltaic’s, as well as almost non-existent insulation in an average poor construction standard. With so much corruption and bureaucracy I'm not surprised the environment is left to rot with the rest of the majority population. Shame on the government and especially Josê Socrates who truly has not helped the majority Portuguese or the environment with out first considering how much money, control and monopoly can be gained for him and his old school buddies!
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Paulo Oliveira 2:39PM (7/06/2008)
"Considering Portugal is the least environmentally concerned country in (atleast) Europe, it is a step in the right direction."
Do you know what was the countrie that made the biggest investment of the world in Gree tecnologies in 2006.. Portugal..
In 2007 was the second...
Europe say that 20 per cent of the european energy must be green in 2020.. And Portugal is tring to achieve that goal in half the time...
Think about it...
Nuno 5:37AM (7/10/2008)
Hello,
Being from Portugal and being used to desillusions with big VE announcements I see these news with moderate enthusiasm. The government here is going to cut all VE related taxes by 70% to serve as an initial boost while the technology doesn't get their performance and price closer to "regular" cars. Until VE's are 15% of the total number of cars charging will be for free in public facilities. This infrastrcture will be mandatory in all public buildings, parking lots and highways until 2011.A national builder of fotovoltaics says they'll promote a domestic package of 20 sqm of panels for you to supply your car for free at home. The particular model Renault presented ables you to change your battery at any service station lika a bottle of natural gas you only pay the deposit (you can always only fill at home or other buildings for free).40% of our electricity in our country comes from renewables and the PM is really promoting this like it was a war for national integrity -the country went mad max-y a month ago when fuel supply stopped for 2 days. We don't have nuclear, gas or oil but we are calling energetic independence "our last chance". EV are part of the solution but we need better trains, bike paths and cities and, more than anything else, people's mindset and behaviours.
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