It seems 2011 is shaping as the pivotal year in the rise of the electric car after plans announced by Renault and Nissan to begin mass marketing plug-in, fully electric vehicles in Portugal then.
Portugal joins Israel and Denmark in the sights of the two closely-aligned global carmakers in a 2011 strategy that focuses on not just the cars themselves but the infrastructure needed to support them. In an agreement announced last week, the carmakers will work in concert with the Portuguese government to establish a network of charging stations across the country for drivers – a key requirement in overcoming the limitations of running cars purely on batteries.
Renault and Nissan have already targeted Israel and Denmark as pioneer markets for its electric cars from 2011, those plans including Project Better Place, an Israeli company dedicated to establishing the necessary infrastructure for electric cars.
The rush to alternative-powered vehicles is set to gather pace in the face of sky high oil prices and little prospect of their return to levels enjoyed in previous decades. Expectations of an oil price permanently above $100 a barrel, and perhaps much higher than that, has suddenly and significantly increased the viability of alternative technologies
Carmakers are now pushing ahead on the development of all-electric vehicles while expanding the range of existing petrol-electric hybrids. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are in the mix too, expected to be long term alternative to the fossil-fuelled internal combustion engine.
Industry analysts have predicted electric cars will be ready for mass market around 2010-11 but the re-charging infrastructure remains the biggest obstacle. Mitsubishi is looking to get ahead of the game, announcing its intention to launch its i MiEV, or Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle, as soon as next year.
Electric car development is based on the use of high-storage lithium-ion batteries that Nissan says will deliver similar performance to a 1.6-litre petrol engine.
Bloomberg 9/7/08, GreenBiz 10/7/08, Climate Change Corp 11/7/08
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