1 Data Analysis from Demonstrating Electric Mini – Buses in Portugal: Results and Conclusions

The growing need to evaluate mobility alternatives in Portugal emerged from the substantial increase of the car fleet, which occurred during the last decade, and of its negative effects. Nowadays, the environmental pollution associated to the transport energy sub-sector, in Portugal, is affecting not only the population’s quality of life, but is also putting at risk the conservation of the historic centres of the cities. The reversal of this tendency depends on the use of environmentally friendly vehicles, in which the electric vehicles play an important role. The road electric vehicle, powered from the mains, presents the clear advantage of a zero local pollution rate. However, it should not be considered a zero emission vehicle, in a global perspective, since, depending on how the electricity is produced, it may or may not have produced pollutant emissions (“well to wheel analysis”). From this perspective, depending on the structure of the electricity production system, each country would realize the variable advantages and disadvantages related to the use of these vehicles. In the sequence of a previous technical oriented analysis [1] [2], this paper aims to present the results of the social and operational monitoring performed during the last two and half years i