The uptake of electric cars is growing rapidly, in 2016 sales worldwide increased by 40%[1]
On the occasion of the presentation of the European Package for Sustainable Mobility, Enel and the Symbola Foundation tell the story of 100 cutting-edge technologies in the Italian electric mobility industry, an example of innovation, energy and talent leading the way in the new age of mobility
Brussels, May 30th, 2017 – The mobility of the future will be increasingly sustainable and efficient. Thanks to the maturity of electricity storage and engine construction technologies, as well as the ever greater diffusion of renewable energy sources and smart distribution networks, electrical mobility can help us meet the goals resulting from the climate challenge. E-mobility will be the protagonist of the European package of sustainable mobility measures, the first part of which will be presented tomorrow by the European Commission and which seeks to decarbonise the transport sector. It is a challenge Italy can help address thanks to the work of small and large innovative enterprises in a sector that is already playing an important role in the development of the industry.
To give voice to this visionary and competitive Italy, Enel and the Symbola Foundation promoted the study “100 Italian e-mobility stories”. Partly conceived as a tool for disseminating knowledge of technologies that can contribute to achieving the goals of the European Sustainable Mobility Strategy, which will be announced tomorrow, the report was presented today in Brussels by the CEO and General Manager of Enel, Francesco Starace, and the President of Symbola, Ermete Realacci, who discussed the findings with the MEPs Simona Bonafè and Claude Turmes as well as with Nikolaus Von Peter of the Cabinet of Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc.
Dedicated to the Italian electric mobility industry, the study presents a collection of success stories: from vehicle development and construction to batteries, from components to design, from recharging to traditional service apps.
Francesco Starace, CEO and General Manager of Enel, commented: “The stories recounted in “100 Italian e-mobility stories” demonstrate how Italy has taken up the challenge of the electric car and the new age of mobility: we have the energy and talent to take a leading role in this great transformation of the way mobility is conceived. Enel is already moving along this path, starting with clear technological leadership in defining state of the art V2G standards globally. In collaboration with Politecnico di Milano, Enel has developed a project for the construction of a recharging infrastructure spanning the country for electric vehicles and we have decided to build this infrastructure immediately.”
"We need to drive technological innovation to combat climate change and the pollution of our cities. The 100 electric mobility stories we present in this report,” said Ermete Realacci, President of the Symbola Foundation, “reflect the best qualities of an Italy that is building Italy today: to innovate without losing our soul, to look at the world with our feet firmly grounded on the territory, among local communities, to take a chance on cohesion and quality. This talent and this energy are the starting point: encouraging them, enhancing them and accompanying them to a systemic level. We hope that Europe gives a strong signal on electric mobility, which is one of the tools available to us in the battle for the climate, in which we must be protagonists, with an eye on the economy of the future.”
Electric mobility intersects with the objectives of the Paris COP21 conference on climate change, also through synergies with the increase in power generated from renewable sources, which in Italy account for 40% of electricity generation2 and still have the potential for further expansion. Electric mobility, along with the enhancement of public transport systems and cycling infrastructure, could make a key contribution to reducing the pollution produced by vehicles, which are currently estimated to create about a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions.
Electric cars are spreading rapidly: in 2016 some 800,000 electric cars were sold around the world, a 40% increase on the previous year1. Growth has been concentrated in the United States and in China, which together with Norway and the Netherlands, represent about 70% of world sales. E-cars were the stars of the Paris Motor Show, while the launch of the first partnerships between car manufacturers and energy utilities is a significant development, with Italy at the forefront of the new business model, providing original services for final customers.
Electric vehicles account for 25% of vehicles in Norway and 10% in the Netherlands3. Italy is not yet at northern European levels when it comes to charging infrastructure, but this gap can be closed with forward-looking strategies and appropriate policies.
“100 Italian e-mobility stories” demonstrates that Italian companies and research centres are poised to meet the challenge of new mobility. Electric cars combine innovation from other sectors such as the power grid, focusing on engine efficiency, extending battery life, the electric retrofit of traditional cars and recycling of materials.
Apart from the maturity of the technologies involved, the development of this new mobility is also linked to a more restrained and sustainable modern lifestyle, to a greater environmental awareness among consumers and institutions and to a growing desire for sharing-mobility.
Using electricity increases engine efficiency. A well-to-wheel (W2W) analysis shows that combustion engines have an efficiency of 17-19%, whereas electric engine efficiency is approximately 36%4. With the increase in renewables in national power generation this efficiency could be increased even more, with positive repercussions for reducing CO2 emissions and pollution in general.
The list of the 100 stories recounted in the study:
Aci Consult, Alfazero, Alkè, ANFIA, A.N.V.E.L., Archimede Energia, Ares2T, Associazione Futuro Solare, Assoelettrica, Atala, Bassi, Benevelli, Bikee Bike, Bitron, Bonfiglioli, Brembo, Cecomp, CERTeT Bocconi, CIVES, CNR ITAE, COBAT, Consorzio TRAIN, CRF – Centro Ricerche di FCA, CS Group, CTL Sapienza, Dielectrik, Dotto Trains, Ducati Energia, E-CO, ENEA, Energica Motor Company, Environment Park, e-Station, Estrima, Euromobility, Eurotech, EveryRide, eV-Now!, Fantic Motor, FIAMM, F.I.M.E.A. Engineering, Fleetmatica, FN Mobilità Sostenibile, Gewiss, GFG Progetti - Giugiaro, IED Torino, i-EM, IIT, Industria Italiana Autobus, Italcar Industrial, Iveco, L.M. Gianetti, Landi Renzo, Legambiente, Linky Innovation, Loccioni, Lock&Charge, MAC, Magneti Marelli, Mancinelli Trasporti, MarioWay, Me Group, MobE - Mobilità Elettrica, Nevicam, Piaggio, Picchio, Politecnico di Bari, Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, PPRO, Rampini Carlo, Route220, RSE, Scame Parre, Scuter, SicilybyCar, Sitael, SMRE, Spin8, SRAM Technology, STMicroelectronics, Tacita, Targa Telematics, Tecnomatic, Tecno Meccanica Imola - Tazzari EV, Teknit, Terna, TIL, Università di Bologna, Università di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Università di Padova, Università di Pisa, Università di Roma Tre, Università di Salerno, Velorapida, Vetrya, Wayel, Zagato, Zehus.
1 Source: Energy&Strategy Group of the Politecnico di Milano.
2 Source: Italian grid operator Terna.
3 Source: International Energy Agency (IEA).
4 Source: Enel study.