Nissan to Build Electric Cars for Portugal - 7/13/08

Nissan and Renault have partnered to sell electric cars in Portugal in 2011.  They have partnered with the Portugal government to create a network of charging stations.

Nissan says the technology for electric cars is still in development and plans to sell electric cars globally in 2012.  Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates says he will work with the automakers to raise awareness about electric cars and try to make them easier to fuel.

With the fears of soaring gas prices and global warming, Nissan has aggressively pursued partnerships with cities and governments to build charging stations for electric cars.

While other car makers concentrate on hybrids and fuel cell cars, Nissan is concentrating their efforts on electric cars promising to sell them globally by 2012.  Nissan plans to bring the first models to the U.S. and Japan by 2010.

The lack of charging stations for electric cars makes it difficult to market electric cars.

Tax breaks and preferential highway lanes combined with other incentives would boost appeal.

Socrates said, "Promoting electric cars in Portugal will reduce our dependence on imported oil and will contribute to a cleaner environment. This agreement with Renault-Nissan will place Portugal also on the front line in terms of sustainable mobility with zero-emission vehicles."

Japanese urbanites drive about 12 miles per day so the limited range of electric cars is perfect for daily errands. 

Subaru and Mitsubishi plan to offer electric cars in Japan next year. The Subaru electric car has a range of 50 miles while the Mitsubishi electric car has a range of 99 miles on a single charge.

Masahiko Otsuka, president of Automotive Energy Supply Corp. plans to produce lithium-ion batteries for the Nissan electric car.  Lithium-ion batteries are more common in laptops and cell phones, but are more powerful than the batteries currently used in gas- electric hybrids made by Toyota.

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