At the presentation of the Comprehensive Strategy for Supporting the Electric Car, which was officially brought to a close on Tuesday in Madrid, the President of the Government underlined the innovative, ambitious and sustainable nature of this Strategy and the close collaboration with the public and private sectors that the Strategy has enjoyed. These are the “keys paths” along which the Spanish industry of the future must travel, said Mr Rodríguez Zapatero.

Besides the President of the Government, the presentation of the Comprehensive Strategy for Supporting the Electric Car was also attended on behalf of the Government by the Second Vice-President and Minister for Economy and the Treasury, the Minister for Science and Innovation and the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Trade, who was responsible for opening and presiding over this event.

Miguel Sebastián stated that twenty-nine companies, eight associations, two public bodies, six ministries, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and the Autonomous Regions of Spain via the Committee of Directors-General for Industry took part in the working group that drafted this Plan.

For that reason, the presentation was also attended by the presidents of Red Eléctrica Española, the Real Automóvil Club de España, and the Asociación Nacional de Automóviles y Camiones in representation of the three working groups that took part in drafting the Strategy.

The president of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) represented the institutions and the chairmen of ACS, Endesa and Indra represented the companies.

The industry of the future

For the President of the Government, the electric car project is highly “emblematic” because it clearly symbolises the path along which the Spanish industry of the future must travel.

He added that three “basic options” from the sustainable growth model have come together in this project: the renovation of central sectors of the Spanish economy; the support of R&D+i; and the fight against climate change, in favour of environmental sustainability and a new era in energy.

The President of the Government went on to say that the electric car represents an opportunity that “we must and will take advantage of” in order to be ready for the future.

Along the same lines, he said that the number of cars in the world could reach 3,000 million by 2050, in other words, four times the current number, due to the demand from countries such as China and India. In his opinion, that represents an “opportunity” from an industrial point of view.

Projects such as these are the projects that “generate trust and encourage innovation and competitiveness in a country that has sufficient capacity to return to growth, to compete at a global level and return to the path of recovery”, claimed Mr Rodríguez Zapatero.

Benefits

The benefits of the electric car set out by the President of the Government include better use of energy because, as he explained, the electric car stores energy during periods of low electricity demand and then uses that power during peak times.

Furthermore, this could lead to a reduction in electricity costs because it uses electricity generation infrastructures and capacity during periods of lower demand.

It will also contribute towards reducing our “overwhelming” dependency on oil, as well as improving air quality.

Reductions to noise pollution was also stated by the President of the Government as one of the benefits of the electric car because these vehicles are quieter than internal combustion engines.

Central sector of the economy

The President of the Government highlighted that the automotive sector is clearly central to the Spanish economy. It represents almost 6% in terms of GDP, employs more than 300,000 people and accounts for 17% of Spanish foreign trade.

Furthermore, he added that Spain was the second largest vehicle producer in the European Union last year.

Precisely due to the Government’s awareness of the importance of this sector, support was first provided via the Plan VIVE and subsequently via the Plan 200E, which were allocated between them a total of almost one thousand million euros to boost vehicle sales.

Specific initiatives

The President of the Government explained that his Government has drafted a 2010-2012 action plan for the purpose of defining the foundations on which to implement electric mobility in Spain.

According to this plan, 20,000 pure and hybrid pluggable electric vehicles will be registered in 2011 and a further 50,000 will be registered in 2012.

The Plan announced by the President of the Government contains a total of fifteen measures: four related to stimulating demand; three to industrialisation and R&D+i; four to infrastructures and demand management; and another four of a broad, comprehensive nature.

In total, the measures will account for the mobilisation of 590 million euros over the course of these two years, which are added to the 10-million euro budget allocated to the Movele project in 2009 and 2010.