Italian cities – with the exception of Milan – are less “green” than large international smart cities: the Lombardy capital ranks seventh in Europe, while Rome is in 28th place and Naples in 34th. Electric mobility, charging stations and zero emissions: where are we at?
L’European Union has established that all vehicles will have to be electric by 2035, sparking negative reactions among companies and manufacturers due to such a close deadline. Yet the advantages of electric cars are evident: reduction of CO2 emissions, greater efficiency, lower maintenance costs and reduced excise duties on fuel. Furthermore, 2024 incentives are available for those who purchase electric vehicles.
However, their diffusion is still limited, even if production and registrations are growing and pollution levels are very high.
In ItalyHowever, the electric market is still developing, especially when compared to other European countries.
Electric cars: the situation in Italy
In our country it could prove particularly useful national plan which establishes a minimum percentage of parking spaces to be electrified in large parking areas, both new and existing. A clear regulation that defines, in short, also the percentages of places for charging electric cars and implementation times.
At the moment there is still uncertainty about activation times of meters and on the installation of medium voltage substations. It is essential that distributors prioritize infrastructure for public chargingguaranteeing impartiality.
Second The sun 24 hours, the objective is to install 13,775 urban charging stations and 7,500 on highways thanks to PNRR funds. However, the first calls for tenders in 2023 were unsuccessful, with no contributions awarded for extra-urban areas and significant defections in urban areas. New tenders are expected, but the market still seems to be in difficulty.
Electric mobility: Italy and Europe compared
In Italy the development of the electricity market is lagging behind the more advanced European countries, both for the sale of electric cars and for the diffusion of charging stations. To find out the exact location of electric charging services in the area, a convenient online map is available.
But they are also there positive signs: According to the report Motus-Eas of 31 December 2023, there were in Italy 50,678 public charging pointsan increase of 13,906 compared to 2022 and almost double compared to 2021.
They are registered in the country 23 public charging points for every 100 electric cars, overtaking France (14), Germany (10) and the United Kingdom (10). Even for fast direct current charging points, Italy is in the lead 3.4 points for every 100 electric carscompared to France (2.1), Germany (2) and the United Kingdom (1.5).
This record, however, is mainly due to the relatively low number of electric vehicles in circulation. According to ISTAT data, the percentage of electric cars out of the total number of vehicles in Italy is still very low.
Milan has the highest incidence with 8.2 electric cars (BEV) per 1,000 cars. There is a notable one difference between the South and the Centre-North: in the large cities of the South the incidence of electric cars is less than half compared to the metropolises of the Centre-North.
The ranking of the “greenest” Italian and European cities
The position paper “Urban electric mobility, a just transition” of the association Kyoto Club monitored the mobility of 18 Italian cities who take part in EU missions “100 smart and climate-neutral cities by 2030“.
The Italian cities – and respective provinces – examined are:
On 42 cityonly four Italian cities were positioned in the ranking:
- Milan: 7th out of 42 cities, thanks to investments in the decarbonization of public transport and sharing mobility;
- Turin: 17th, with a good network of charging stations, but fewer zero-emission buses than Milan;
- Rome: 28th, late in the sharing mobility and zero emissions;
- Naples: 34th, there is still a long way to go to reduce the use of private cars.
Let’s see how the Italian cities examined are positioned in other rankings relating to electric mobility.
Zero emission buses
- Oslo: 67% of the entire fleet;
- Milan: 25%;
- Rome: 3.5%.
Shared bikes and scooters
- Helsinkii: 31 per 1,000 inhabitants;
- Milan: 15 per 1,000 inhabitants;
- Naples: 2.5 per 1,000 inhabitants.
Electric car-sharing
- Copenhagen: 1.76 EV per 1,000 people;
- Milan: 0.47 EV per 1,000 people;
- Naples: less than 0.1 EV per 1,000 people.
Charging infrastructure
- Amsterdam: 147.3 kW per 1,000 inhabitants;
- Rome: 20.7 kW per 1,000 inhabitants;
- Milan: 19 kW per 1,000 inhabitants;
- Turin: 27 kW per 1,000 inhabitants.
Many Italian cities are working to improve urban electric mobility, also thanks to funding from the PNRR. The goal is to transform 30% of public transport into electric buses by 2026, with all-electric fleets by 2030 in cities such as Milan and Bologna.
Article Modified On:May 22, 2024
