Resources Minister George Pullicino has signed a collaboration agreement on electrical mobility with Portugal which should lead to the start of the laying of a network of charging points for electric cars in Malta.

The agreement was signed in Lisbon in the presence of Prof. Carlos Zorrinho, Portugal’s Minister for Energy and Innovation. Portugal, the Department of Information said, aims to produce by 2020 60%of its energy needs from clean sources.

Renault-Nissan will be launching its electric cars in 2011 in Portugal. Mr Pullicino saw how the cars worked and while he drove one, he saw a charging point in operation in a Lisbon street.

The DOI said international markets will see many more electric vehicles, similar in shape to conventional cars, in the coming months after huge investments being made by the big car manufacturers. Renault-Nissan, Vauxhall, Mitsubishi, and Chrysler-FIAT have already announced they will be introducing a large number of electric cars on international markets in the coming months.

Malta aims to have 5,000 electric cars by 2020 as part of the emissions reduction plans. It is estimated that 16 per cent of emissions in Malta are made by vehicles. Electric cars do not produce exhaust and create only one-third of the carbon dioxide conventional cars create.

Apart from the €2,000 contribution for the car scrappage scheme, the government will be offering a scheme under which persons who buy an electric car may benefit from a subsidy up to €5,000 to install grid connected renewable energy sources. The annual circulation licence will be brought down to €10 from €75 for all electric vehicles.