The Government of Portugal and the Renault-Nissan Alliance today announced a comprehensive partnership to deliver zero emission mobility to Portugal from 2010. The plan will utilize electric vehicles supplied by the Alliance, and will leverage an extensive charging network that will be built across Portugal over the next three years.
In July, Portugal became the first European country to establish a partnership directly with the Renault-Nissan Alliance to explore zero emission mobility. The goal was to address concerns such as global warming, dependence on oil and sustainable mobility. After four months of discussion and analysis, Portugal today became the first European country to sign a final agreement with the Alliance for implementing a zero emission mobility program.
“We realized early on that zero-emission mobility goes far beyond the vehicle itself,” said Carlos Tavares, executive vice president of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. “It requires extensive collaboration with government and other partners to ensure success.”
The plan calls for 1,300 vehicle charging locations to be operational by the end of 2011, with 320 of those locations already in place in 2010.
Portugal will also offer incentives to electric vehicle purchasers, including an income tax credit for individuals and corporate tax reductions for fleet purchases of electric vehicles. The tax incentives, which begin in late 2010, will last at least five years.
The Government of Portugal is also mandating that 20% of public fleet vehicle purchases be zero-emission, starting in 2011.
Additional measures, such as reduced parking rates, preferential access and financing subsidies are being studied further. Public awareness and educational activities, including electric vehicle demonstrations, will begin in 2010.
The measures were announced at Portugal Tecnológico 2008 in Lisbon, one of the country’s most important technology exhibitions sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Innovation. Nissan’s Denki (Japanese for “electric”) Cube is on display at the six-day exhibition. This concept vehicle features the same lithium-ion battery technology that will power Nissan’s new electric vehicles.
“Portugal is a global leader in renewable energy. The next step is to make Portugal a pioneer in zero emission mobility. Electric vehicles offer major benefits to our society by reducing imports of fuel, improving energy security, reducing CO2 emissions and offering a reliable and secure alternative towards sustainable mobility,” said Portugal’s Prime Minister José Sócrates.
Source: Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.
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