PM Jose Luis Zapatero, Spain

"We want to put into place with the European Commission a plan for the development of electric cars"

"Zapatero stressed that development of the electric car is an opportunity not to be missed. Projects like this build confidence and promote innovation in a country that has enough capacity to compete on a global scale and assist in the economic recovery we"

"Within four years a million electric cars would take to the roads, with battery top-up points sprouting up in petrol stations and disused telephone booths across the country"

"Electric vehicles are on their way"

"Let us get ahead and get them (the electric cars) here sooner"

"It expects some 250,000 electric cars will be in circulation in Spain by 2014 and up to a million when hybrid vehicles are included"

"The electric car can contribute to reduce the cost of power as it will increase the use of generation and distribution infrastructure"

"Spain has launched EUR590 million in subsidies and tax breaks aimed at boosting the use of electric cars in the country"

"Spain committed to pushing electric car production in Europe higher up in the EU´s 2020 economic strategy"

"In the last ten years ... our energy consumption has gone up by nine percent… In the meantime, we see that China and Japan are developing fast on electric vehicles"

"The other day I met together with a group of companies, some of the most important in Europe, and it was felt it was fundamental that there should be co-operation and integration of efforts in developing the electric vehicle"

"If our markets don’t have a regulatory framework to provide financial support (in the field of electric car), and if we don’t have common standards on the technologies, then it will be difficult for Europe to take a leading role"