Portugal Teams with Nissan to Pioneer Mass Adoption of Electric Cars

Automakers Nissan and Renault have partnered with Portugal's government to create a national network of charging stations. Nissan has aggressively pursued deals with cities and governments on electric vehicles, as soaring gas prices and worries about global warming make the green technology more appealing. Portugal is a global leader in promoting renewable energy, including wind and solar power.

Nissan and Renault have previously announced deals with Project Better Place, based in Palo Alto, Calif., which promotes electric vehicles, to mass market electric vehicles in Israel and Denmark in 2011.

Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of the French and Japanese automakers, and Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates said they would work together to raise awareness about the vehicles and try to make them easier to fuel.

While other car manufacturers concentrate on fuel cells and hybrids, Nissan is going all out on electric vehicles, promising to sell them globally in 2012, with the first models arriving in Japan and the U.S. in 2010.

"We are feeling more strongly than ever that we must speed up our development of electric vehicles," said Nissan Senior Vice President Minoru Shinohara. Nissan is in talks with parking lot and railway companies to set up recharging stations, he told The Associated Press.

The lack of charging stations has made electric cars impractical in the broader market. Skeptics say electric vehicles will stay niche for some time. Combined with high costs and other technological hurdles, electric vehicles for the broader public are still experimental.

Proponents say tax breaks, preferential highways lanes and other incentives would boost the appeal.

Shinohara said Japanese urbanites drive about 12 miles a day _ so the limited range of electric vehicles isn't a problem for daily grocery shopping and other errands.

Fuji Heavy Industries, which makes Subaru cars, and Mitsubishi plan to offer electric vehicles in Japan next year. Mitsubishi's electric vehicle travels 99 miles on a single charge, while Subaru's goes 50 miles.
Mitsubishi plans to sell its electric vehicle in Europe in 2010, while tests are planned for the U.S. for 2009. Subaru has not decided on overseas sales plans for its electric vehicle.

Masahiko Otsuka, president of Automotive Energy Supply Corp., a joint venture between Nissan and Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp. said Nissan has a history dating back to 1992 of testing lithium-ion batteries for cars. Lithium-ion batteries are now more common in laptops and other gadgets but can pack more power than the kind of batteries in the gas-electric hybrids made by Toyota.

U.S. automaker General Motors Corp. is developing an electric vehicle called the Chevrolet Volt, which it hopes to launch in 2010. Ford Motor Co. has a demonstration fleet of 20 plug-ins.

Posted by Casey Kazan.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/09/nissan-building-electric_n_111587.html
http://www.congoo.com/news/2008July9/Nissan-Renault-partners-Portugal-electric

Comments

[Ron]

Here we go again: Washington and Detroit scratch their butts and squeek at each other while the rest of the world gets on with it.
No wonder we look like such dinosaurs.