Is it possible to use an electric car for long journeys in Sicily? The answer is “yes, but you have to plan“. To make the point Confartigianato takes the situation of as an example Palermo. Almost up 800 thousand cars in circulation in the Sicilian capital and its province, at the moment only 1,381 are electric ones, 0.17%. However, the percentage which also represents 20% of the electricity present in Sicily, a value 9 times higher than 5 years ago (2019) when there were only 146 electric cars in circulation.
In Palermo 43% of artisans in the automotive sector
Sustainable mobility is a topic that affects small businesses very closely: in fact, in the province of 1,233 artisan companies operate in the Palermo automotive supply chain, equal to 43.2% of the total, and reach a weight of 77.3% in the sector vehicle repair and maintenance. Even greater numbers regarding employees: in the car supply chain, those employed in small businesses are 4,604, equal to 81.7% of the total. One of the main challenges for these companies is adapting to the new skills required by the changing automotive market, especially in the field of electric cars and digital technologies. In 2023, according to data provided byConfartigianato economic observatorythe demand for qualified workers has reached critical levels: in Sicily out of a total of 1,720 artisanal mechanics, car repairers and maintainers needed, 75.6%, equal to 1,300 workers, was difficult to find. Our region is among those that have the greatest problems in finding qualified personnel together with Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta and Campania.
Read also – Electric cars in Sicily represent 0.3% of the total. “Too few columns”
From Vicenza to Sicily with the electric car
The data were illustrated in the final stage of “Sustainability on tour“, Confartigianato’s journey into green mobility which from 12 May, starting from Vicenza, explored the challenges and opportunities linked to new vehicle technologies, urban planning, infrastructures, the impact on business activity, on employment and lifestyles of citizens. The journey was divided into four stages, in addition to the presentation at Rome, and went through Naples, Bari, Reggio Calabria to end today in Palermo. Two teams from Confartigianato crossed the roads and motorways of Southern Italy up to Sicily in two examples of electric cars to verify the quality of the infrastructure available (spread of charging stations, efficiency of the electricity grid).
In Sicily, each stage is extended by 20km to recharge
The balance of the green trip is interesting. Valter Fabris of Confartigianato, among the organizers of Citemos, explained: “Contrary to what one might have thought, there were not many difficulties. Up to Bari the motorway has fast charging and therefore no problems whatsoever. In the Bari-Reggio Calabria section, as well as in Sicily, people were instead forced to leave the main roads in order to recharge, with a detour of around twenty kilometers at a time”. To be able to take a green trip with complete peace of mind, the key word is planning. By planning the trip well, electric mobility is certainly a challenge within everyone’s reach.
Energy saving, looking for skills
Particularly The growing demand for skills related to energy saving is significant. On the island, hires requiring a strong attitude towards energy saving have encountered difficulty in finding the 85.8%. This morning, in room O010 of the Engineering department, next to the historical museum of engines and mechanisms of the museum system ofUniversity of Palermouniversity students, students of theVittorio Emanuele technical institute, electric mobility experts, university professors, the Confartigianato team that crossed Italy. Also present were the director of economic policies of Confartigianato Imprese, Bruno Panieri ei leaders of Confartigianato Palermo, Maria Grazia Bonsignore and Giovanni Rafti. To do the honors of the house, Antonino Nino Valenza, director of the Engineering department and Fabio Viola, coordinator of the degree course in Electrical Engineering for E-mobility at the University of Palermo.
Sustainable mobility still to be built
“Sustainability on tour”, organized with the main sponsorship Of Intesa Sanpaolo, is among the initiatives that Confartigianato promotes throughout the year to accompany artisans and small businesses in the green transition and build an environmentally friendly economic development model. “Today is an important date for Palermo. We hosted the fourth and final stage of a journey into green mobility – he said Maria Grazia Bonsignorepresident of Confartigianato Palermo –, bringing together the world of business, schools and universities to address the issue together sustainable mobility, which can become reality only with the joint commitment of institutions, businesses and society as a whole. Constant development of skills is needed and here the university plays a fundamental role. Only with the promotion of innovative technologies can we face the challenge of sustainability.”
