Ana Valado
The Northern Region of Portugal is making major investments in the field of sustainable mobility for both decarbonisation of transport and the creation of smart cities. Such effort earned it an international award. This investment is to be continued.
The promotion of electric mobility and the creation of the right conditions for cities in the Oporto metropolitan area to become sustainable and smart cities or “cities of the future” has been one of the flags of municipalities in the northern region in recent times.
In this regard, several measures have been implemented, from the purchase of vehicles causing less environmental impact for their fleets and buses, through municipal car parks offering reductions for electric cars or the allocation of licenses for the implementation of shared electric mobility in cities, particularly for scooters and bicycles.
The Oporto City Council played a leading role in promoting electric mobility in the country. In the first stage, in 2015, it became one of the entities to adopt the use of electric vehicles for the management and maintenance of its green areas. After that, 70% of its fleet was renewed with electric vehicles.
The Oporto municipality and municipal companies have invested, and intend to keep investing, in ecological fleets, including cars, motorcycles, quadricycles, supporting operational management, small machines and respective infrastructures to support vehicle charging and needs of this type of charging needs to replace fossil fuels.
But the municipal objective goes further: enabling electric vehicles to be charged using 100% renewable energy. This is already being implemented by the municipality.
In terms of electric vehicle chargers for public use, they are already there in several locations, a measure decided by the municipality as part of the strategy to build a sustainable city.
This bet on greener mobility in cities was extended also to public transportation, with the purchase by the State, with a European Union contribution, of buses with lower environmental impact – 100% electric and natural gas, as was the case of STCP. This initiative falls within the scope of the goals established by the Government towards a 40% reduction of carbon emissions to the atmosphere by 2030.
New STCP bus fleet ”Zero Emissões”
Vehicle nº20 from the beginning of the electrification era
Efacec ultra fast chargers
These paradigm changes in urban mobility have led to Oporto being rated “class A” city in 2020, an international distinction by the organization “Carbon Disclosure Project” (CDP), which acknowledges the efforts made by the municipality to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create resilience as to the impacts of climate change. The award ceremony of the CDP Europe Awards 2021 took place in March, and the Municipality of Porto featured on the list of 88 cities worldwide considered to environmental leader working to become resilient, healthy and prosperous places to live and work while reducing emissions and quickly building resilience against climate change.
PRÉMIO asked some questions to companies in the north of the country involved in the theme of Electric Mobility and who are providing a great contribution to the development of efficient cities: