The Portuguese Prime Minister is the First Head of State in the World to use an Electric Car

Lisbon, Portugal (ots/PRNewswire) - Portugal
yesterday received delivery of the first 10 electric vehicles in
Europe from Nissan as recognition of the country's pioneering work in
electric mobility with the MOBI.E Programme.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101223/428546 )

The Prime Minister José Socrates is one of the ten recipients and
will now travel exclusively by Electric Car for his official travels
around the capital city. With this Portugal becomes the first country
in the world to have a head of state using an electric car for
official matters.

Prime Minister, Jose Socrates, said:

"Portugal is extremely proud of the introduction of the electric
vehicle. This initiative is only possible due the fast implementation
and development of the Portuguese MOBI.E Charging Network, which is
considered a leading example to the world of how to roll out electric
cars. Portugal is the first country in the world to have a
nation-wide smart grid for electric vehicles."

The other cars will be purchased by nine companies of the
technological consortium that developed the MOBI.E solution as a
clear sign of the need for a transition to Electric Mobility.

The cars were delivered Carlos Tavares, Vice-President of Nissan,
in a Ceremony that occurred in Parque das Nações, in Lisbon.

Portugal Pioneer on Electric Mobility

Portugal is the first country in the world to implement an
electric vehicle charging network at a national scale. The MOBI.E
network, which currently spreads over 25 municipalities throughout
the country, displays over 50 charging points already installed
growing to more than 1300 normal charging points and 50 quick
charging stations by mid-2011.

It is the only truly integrated system in the world, focusing on
the user and ensuring open-access and interoperability. Such approach
has drawn interest from many countries to the MOBI.E Programme.

The MOBI.E charging network is thus the first electric mobility
smart grid and has established itself as a world industry benchmark.

Portugal has therefore become the definite living lab for
electric mobility, and is well on its way for a more sustainable
oil-independent future.

MOBI.E and Renewables

By generating about 45% of total electricity consumption from
clean energies, Portugal is in the forefront of the renewables
challenge.

Electric vehicles symbiotically enhance the renewable energies
potential since they may be regarded as a huge distributed storage
system for renewable electricity generated during the night (mainly
from wind turbines) which may be later reintroduced into the grid
during the day at peak consumption times , thus increasing the
overall energy efficiency of the national electric system.

Find out more in http://www.mobi-e.pt

ots Originaltext: MOBI.E
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
CONTACT: Portuguese Office for Electric Mobility, gamep@meid.gov.pt,
(+351)21-340-42-13