Governo corrige lei de estrangeiros e prazos para reagrupamento familiar

[jeso]

O sotaque do comentador é um bocado esquisito, deve ser Açoreano.

[silvaxico]

Excelente notícia. Pode ser que seja desta que isto avança. Depois de se ver o carro a funcionar num país pode ser que os outros avancem. Além disso isto vai fazer descer os preços porque vai haver produção em massa.

Só falta agora haver alguém que me ofereça um destes...

[Keyser Soze]

Israel relies on electric cars to cut oil imports

By Fiona Harvey and John Reed in London and Tobias Buck,in Jerusalem

Published: January 21 2008 02:00 | Last updated: January 21 2008 02:00

Israel will set out plans today to cut drastically its dependence on oil imports, with a private-sector initiative for a nationwide electric car network.

The privately funded plan to build 500,000 recharging points and battery-swap stations for electric cars in the next 18 months has the backing of the government and president, Shimon Peres. Renault and Nissan will develop an electric car with a range of more than 100 miles to be mass-produced from 2011.

Mr Peres told the Financial Times that the plan would cut Israel's oil imports by half within a few years, and that Israel could cut the remainder by building solar energy-generating plants. "In one decade, we will not need oil."

The infrastructure will be built by Project Better Place, a US start-up, which has raised $200m (€137m, £102m) for the purpose, enough to cover the initial stages. Further roll-out of the infrastructure and vehicles is expected to add about $800m to the cost.

Electric cars have failed to find mass-market acceptance due to their limited driving ranges, high costs relating to their batteries, and small production runs. Project Better Place, founded by Shai Agassi, an Israeli-American, is championing a business model that would see the costs of batteries borne by infrastructure companies.

Israel's government this month approved tax incentives for electric vehicles.

The plan's government backing could prove a sensitive point in the region's oil-rich countries, where Renault does business; in Iran it assembles low-cost cars in a joint venture. The company was not available for comment ahead of today's announcement.

Mr Peres made it clear that the aim of the project was both economic and political. "The two greatest problems today are oil and terror," he said. "Oil is the greatest polluter, and the great financer of terror. [Oil-producing nations] make a mockery of democracy."

By contrast, he saw a bright future for solar energy to replace oil imports: "The sun is permanent, democratic, friendly and it does not pollute."

Project Better Place, which has held talks with carmakers other than Renault and Nissan, will also offer prepayment packages for recharging that it claims will bring down the cost of electric cars. It likens itself to the early infrastructure companies that made widespread use of mobile phones possible.

Caroline Öhrn, senior research analyst at Venture Business Research, said: "This may finally kick-start adaptation on a larger scale." The take-up of electric cars had been inhibited by the lack of recharging sites, she said. "It's great to own an electric car, but its use is limited if you're only able to recharge it at home."

If successful, the Israeli project may also be rolled out in other countries.

Electric cars are regarded as a "green" alternative to petrol or diesel. Project Better Place has calculated that if Israel's fleet of 2m cars were all electric, they would require 2,000MW of electricity per year, which could be provided by a one-off investment of $5bn in solar plants.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e92d6de-c7c2 ... ck_check=1

Renault to develop electric cars for Israel
Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:51am EST
(Adds more details, comments)

By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The Renault-Nissan (RENA.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) (7201.T: Quote, Profile, Research) alliance on Monday signed a deal to begin mass producing electric cars as part of an Israeli-led project to develop alternative energy sources and slash oil dependency.

Renault-Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said the cars, with a range of about 100 km in city driving and up to 160 km on the highway, will accelerate from zero to 100 kph in 13 seconds and have a top speed of 110 kph -- similar to many gasoline-powered cars.

Ghosn said a key reason why the company chose Israel to launch the project is because 90 percent of Israelis drive less than 70 km a day and all major urban centres are within 150 km of each other. For Israel the cars would mean less dependency on oil imports, mostly coming from Russia.

The cars, to be made in Europe, will run on a battery developed by Nissan and Japan's NEC (6701.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and will be available in 2011. A prototype is already on the road in Israel and various models will be sold by Renault and Nissan.

"It will be the most environmentally friendly mass-produced car on the market," Ghosn said at a Fuel Free Transportation ceremony at the office of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, adding the main appeal of the cars is that they were as "normal as possible" while operating quietly.

He said the car would cost the same or less than comparable gasoline engine autos and would have a lifetime warranty.

Ghosn said Renault-Nissan will also market the cars in yet to be determined European countries and Asia and later to the United States.

"We expect this car to be successful," Ghosn told reporters. "We want to make sure we mass market 10,000 to 20,000 cars a year in Israel ... We are determined to make it a success."



ENERGY SUBSCRIPTIONS

Israel's government will offer tax incentives on the cars and Project Better Place, a venture-backed company, will set up a recharging grid using electricity from renewable sources.

"The state of Israel has set itself the goal of making our lives here better and cleaner, with less dependence on gasoline and petroleum," Olmert said. "By the end of the next decade, we will be completely free of petroleum and its by-products as the fuel which powers transportation in Israel."

Project Better Place is headed by former SAP (SAPG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) executive Shai Agassi, who said Israel's grid would be powered by 200 megawatts generated by wind and solar power sources.

"For the first time in history, all the conditions necessary for electric vehicles to be successfully mass-marketed will be brought together in a partnership between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Project Better Place in Israel," the two sides said in a statement.

Consumers will buy their car and subscribe to an energy supply, including the use of the battery, on the basis of kilometers driven, similar to the way mobile phones are sold.

Israeli President Shimon Peres said he wanted Israel to push forward with the electric car plan because oil has become the "greatest polluter of our age and the greatest financier of terrorism".

California-based Project Better Place said it will set up a network of 500,000 charging points in Israel. The car's computer will indicate when recharging is needed and the nearest charging point.

The initial $200 million investment in Project Better Place is led by holding company Israel Corp ILCO.TA and includes investment bank Morgan Stanley (MS.N: Quote, Profile, Research), venture capital firm Vantage Point and a group of private investors.

Israel Corp, which will invest $100 million, said it had signed agreements with the other investors. The Ofer family, which controls Israel Corp, will invest $30 million through a private firm while the other investors will put in $70 million. (Additional reporting by Tova Cohen; Editing by David Holmes)

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCr ... SL21598708

<object width="420" height="331"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x426hp"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x426hp" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="331" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object>