“The objectives that Portugal has established are to cut emissions by 14 percent by 2020 and by 26 percent by 2030, through sustainable mobility plans that rely on shared transport and vehicles that do not produce emissions,” José Mendes, the assistant secretary of state for environment, told Lusa News Agency.
Mendes was speaking in Portimão during the opening of the Smart Regional Summit and after a signing ceremony for an agreement between the Algarve Inter-municipal Community (AMAL), Portugal’s national tourist board, Mobie.E - the company that manages Portugal’s electric-vehicle charging points, and ARAC, the driverless cars industry association, as part of an initiative to promote electric mobility and sustainable tourism in the region.
The agreement foresees the installation by Mobie.E of 32 charging points for electric cars - two in each of the Algarve’s 16 municipalities - which officials said should be working within two months.
“This initiative will give all the Algarve’s municipalities semi-fast charging points, available on public highways, as part of the government’s policies for mobility and to improve the quality of life,” Mendes said, adding that the “ambitious” project ties in with the government’s policies to “incentivise the acquisition and use of electric vehicles”.
He also argued that it could give the region an advantage where it came to attracting tourists.
The secretary of state for tourism, Ana Mendes Godinho, told Lusa that the pilot project aimed at positioning the region “as a sustainable tourism destination, world leader”. She said it is being backed by the local association of car hire companies, whose members would be making electric cars available for tourists.