Project Movele: Spain's Electric Car Plan

While an electric vehicle plan called Better Place has gotten a lot of attention for its lofty goals in Israel, Denmark and elsewhere, other plans deserve a little love, too.

In Spain, according to Spanish-language auto blogs, the Ministry of Industry and the Institute for Diversifying and Saving Energy have come up with a plan that they're calling Proyecto Movele. Under Movele, the government would install an electric car infrastructure in several cities and subsidize private purchase of a small fleet of electric cars (as well as buying some for itself).

Diario de Sevilla writes that the plan is part of a larger economic stimulus package.

Treehugger's April Streeter writes that the pilot cities have been chosen. They're not surprises:

The pretty southern Spanish town of Seville has been chosen along with the capital Madrid and the northern hub Barcelona to implement the Movele pilot electric car infrastructure project proposed by the Spanish Ministry of Industry. The cities' energy authority will this year begin putting in place the recharging stations for an eventual fleet of 500 cars expected to be purchased partially by private owners and partially by the state (subsidized in both cases up to by 30% state funds). What's incredible (in the sense of being a bit hard to believe) is that the infrastructure of 75 charging stations in Sevilla alone is expected to be completed this year. Que sera, sera indeed!

Of course, Seville's 500 cars are just the start of a much larger plan for Movele:

Spain's ambitious program of introducing EVs, hybrid and plug-in cars (a million units for 2012) is promoting the new network under the Movele program. Seville is getting recharging stations in the most used parking lots in the city, as well as at the airport, city hall offices and other official buildings.

Comments

[Kaviraj]

Amsterdam had electric cars in the '80s as an alternative for the White Bicycle plan of the '60s
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witte_fiets. Dutch lingo page

The Witkar was the project in the '80s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witkar English page.

Finally the rest of the world catches up.

[jerrypl]

President Obama, are you reading this? Spain is creating a bottom up stimulus plan and not a trickle down Reaganomic fiscal plan. WAKE UP!

http://eye-on-washington.blogspot.com

[primeelite]

Being someone in this industry what has happened is the United States talks a huge game but does little to nothing while other countries such as Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, India, etc are all putting a lot of money towards renewable energies and having some successes at it. It is time we realize that we are getting passed up in every aspect in the clean/green industries which is the future.

- - -
http://meancleantech.com

[Revelation1118]

Who kllled the Electric Vehicle in America?

It was a combination of Oil, Auto and Government all attempting to resist change for as long as possible. Conservatism run amok in the marketplace and CONTROLLING the market, rather than letting market forces decide.

Shell purchased the NICCAD large battery technology from GM and sued Toyota for their use of it. They forced GM to crush all the EVs.

Shell was then bought by the oil giant EXXON.

FREE THE BATTERIES !!!

[Kaviraj]

Tesla had an electric vehicle go for 800lkms in the late 1800's. Who killed it? JP Morgan. That great progressive W(B)anker. Tesla had built a little device that took the electricity out of the air, with an antenna and a little converter placed on the electric engine. Morgan killed it, because "where are we going to put the meter?"

[Revelation1118]

Who killed the Electric Vehicle in America?

It was a combination of Oil, Auto and government all attempting to resist change for as long as possible. Conservatism run amok in the marketplace and CONTROLLING the market, rather than letting market forces decide.

Shell purchased the NICCAD large battery technology from GM and sued Toyota for their use of it. They forced GM to crush all the EVs.

Shell was then bought by the oil giant EXXON.

FREE THE BATTERIES !!!

[josefo]

I was in Barcelona a couple of years ago and they are way, way ahead of us socially. Such a sense of community even for a visiting stranger.

[Revelation1118]

It is all that healing after f.ascism for so many years; same as what will now take place in America

[kappa08]

Apparently that's of no value to cats like sailfree...it's all about being the BIGGEST and having the most. This country has the mentality of a frat boy compared to Spain.

[LittlePurpleUSA]

When you're about 35th in Science and Mathematics, it's no surprise when other countries are light years ahead.

[RationalDubSteppa]

How can we not be 35th when our science teachers teach our students that baby j3s3us made everything!

[DaveC19]

And the US is left in the dust again.

Let's get back to what is REALLY important, March madness basketball.

Pathetic.

[TechGirl]

Why don't you all quit your whining and waiting for 1 man to save you. Get off your lazy bums and start being proactive to make moves in your local community, in your home, in your business. If your not already doing these things personally your contributing to the problem:

Recycling your garbage.
Reducing your energy usage.
Riding the train or bus instead of driving.
Using re-usable bags.
Decreasing your consumption.
Carpooling.
Weatherizing.
Picking up garbage around your neighborhood.
Reducing your water usage.
Supporting local environmental activities.

I am doing all of these things. I haven't driven a car in 10 years. I ride my bike to get groceries. We all have to put our money where our mouth is and take action now. 1 president or 1 government won't come to your rescue, where's your sense of American Pioneering spirit.

You all sound like a bunch of whiny Republicans to me.

[kappa08]

Because this is a country of obese addicts that need to be led....We have to be forced into action. Your methods are noble and true and people have been living that way for years trying to set the example and it hasn't changed a freaking thing. Not unlike our financial crisis. People KNEW it wouldn't last but they just ignored it because of all those hollow calories so freely available. Human nature is what it is.
I completely agree with you. BUT there has to be leadership from the top in order for REAL change to happen...period.

[Kaviraj]

Ok. I am on top and i tell you to do it now. Satisfied, now that you have been told?

[bigironal25]

About 10 years ago friends of mine went to France on business/vacation for 5 days and when they returned they told me that Europe was light years ahead of the U.S., especially mass transit! They purchased a "Euro Pass" they used to ride on one of Europe's high speed trains to go all over the place and they said the trains always ran on time, they were spotless, had great food and drink, and the trains were packed with vacationers and commuters.My friends also told me they had never been on a train before and the reason why was because of all the nasty things they had heard about Amtrak! The U.S. needs a high speed rail system that goes EVERYWHERE in the country!If this does happen, I know I'd love to hope on a super fast train and go from here in Michigan to California ,Arizona,etc! I like to fly, but you can't see to much of the scenic beauty of this great country at 35,000 ft plus if it's a vacation ,I am in no hurry!

[SailFree]

Note to self: Remember that America is not Europe, that the distances are tremendously longer in the USA, that European countries "enjoy" perpetual double-digit unemployment, higher personal taxes than here, etc. Not necessarily the way AMERICA wants to go no matter how many elitist pointy-head ivory tower Ivy League left-wing types lean that way.

[kappa08]

I guess it's all about quality of life. This country is like 15th. I guess if you value Hummers and all you can eat buffets living in a society that can't even build a proper levy then you're right those silly Europeans and there 1000y/o cultures compared to our measly 200+ has no business on setting an example of how to move forward...
Just curious what's your BMI?

[RationalDubSteppa]

HAHA you are a m0r0n and it needs to be said! Europe does not have double digit umemployment. Some places do and some places don't(like us right now). The taxes are higher (not that much higher in most cases) and cover healthcare, education(including in a lot of cases grad school) modern infrastructure, etc. Grow up and read a book and stop being a l@zy cons3rv@tive.

[marinadelosmares]

The same old anti-European talking points... I thought they had been dismantled long ago.

The unemployment figures in Europe are simply more representative of the reality, after all, we (in the EU) count also those who have run out of their unemployment benefits, those who didn't qualify for unemployment benefits and those who have been unemployed so long, they've stopped looking for work. Unlike in the United States, where only those currently receiving unemployment benefits, are counted. You may call that single-digit, we call it fudging the numbers. For evidence, one only needs to walk in an American city and a European city, the level of poverty and destitution one sees regularly in any American street leaves a European visitor absolutely puzzled.

The higher taxes mantra is another one of my favorites, you know why? because I don't mind at all paying 3-5% points more in taxes (ironically, most American states have 8-10% sales tax applied to just about everything you purchase throughout the year, add that up), knowing that our education is financed from daycare through college, that receiving health care will never bankrupt my family (and I must say, our "universal" hospitals and doctors are really nice), that there's housing subsidies if I were to need it and most fantastic of all, that our taxes are used by and large to finance our societies infrastructure, rather than gobbled up by a morbidly obese defense budget... a lot of good that's done for America.

[Kaviraj]

The distances are not any longer. From Sweden to Italy is 2000 miles. from Paris to Budapest is 2000 miles. all done by train and no problem whatsoever. We know how to cooperate, you see. We also do not"enjoy" perpetual double digit unemployment - we had the same rate as the US at 6.5 % and our higher taxes give us free first quality healthcare, where you have to pay through the nose for less than second-rate third world cr@ppy meds and worse hospitals.
And you lean more the right way than the Tower of Pisa. Soon you topple over like the rest of the repubs. You spew taliking points while never having been outside your hick town. creep back under your rock.

[KataVideo]

Heavy sigh. Why can't we do anything like this? I'm still very glad I voted for President Obama, but where are all of these 'big plans' the media says he's up to? Instead, we still have GM teetering, AIG still stealing, Repugnicants still obstructing.

[Tom95134]

The electric car plan is just the latest in Spain's movement towards renewable energy. Here's another....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/24/andalucia-spain-renewable-energy-technology

[sonomarc]

My sentiments exactly. Seems like now is the time to think big and put some stakes in the ground to measure progress. Kennedy's vision was "man on the moon by the end of the decade." What is Obama's vision?

[DaveC19]

Obama's vision is making sure the wall street fat cats are well fed.

[playera]

Well, part of the reason we fail to do things in the USA is we're TOO big, our plans are too big, and our population is too big to do things. We're so big we can't get anything done.

How do we pick 3 or 4 locations to do something like this Spanish program? A country the size of Spain needs to do a program with several thousand or hundred units involved, something that's manageable and doable.

Heck, we can't even do wind power. Why not do wind power in only one location and get it moving?

[SailFree]

One suspects that Spain would LOVE to have, even with our recession, an economy as strong and people as prosperous as ours. But we too, following Obama's leadership, can become stagnant and less prosperous! YES WE CAN!

[kappa08]

You sound like someone that has never left your house...do have any idea how rich Spain's culture and quality of life is?...Just ask yourself. Have you ever met a true Spaniard that immigrated to this country? Very few.

[marinadelosmares]

Darn SailFree, I usually don't latch on to just one individual, such as yourself, but you just keep striking my Spanish nerve... :-)

Let me put your suspicions at rest and inform you that I would never trade my Spanish quality of life for the American (and I lived in the States for about 10 years). In Spain I feel truly free, not that phony Hallmark feeling it has in the States, where it's praised at every football game, while being told what to say, where you say it, whom to love or why showing a nipple requires apologizing to the whole nation...

Newsflash, it's been a long time since America was the beacon to the world. These days is more like a Made in China plastic flashlight running out of batteries...

[Kaviraj]

Repugnicants still obstructing.
There is your answer.

[SailFree]

There's nothing wrong with saving energy per se--efficiency is to be desired. It is the rationale, the manmade global warming idiocy, that is the root of the argument.

http://www.thelandofthefree.net/conservativeopinion/2009/03/18/climate-is-a-chaotic-system/

[RationalDubSteppa]

HAHA another conservative that is scientifically illiterate. For the life of me I don't understand why you people want to get into debates over topics that are way over your head!!