Enel-MiBACT agreement on tourism-focused electric mobility
Very soon visiting Italy won’t just be a memorable experience, it will also be a sustainable one. Our CEO and General Manager, Francesco Starace and the Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Dario Franceschini have signed a memorandum of understanding that marks a new leap forward for the e-Mobility Revolution.
The document, which was signed at the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (MiBACT) in Rome on 15 February, provides for the promotion and development of electric energy in creating sustainable mobility in the tourism sector. The signing ceremony was also attended by Enel X CEO Francesco Venturini and Francesco Palumbo, MiBACT’s Tourism General Manager.
“We believe very strongly that electric mobility is a decisive factor in the sustainable development of the tourism sector. An infrastructural network of electric charging points across the main art areas and tourist-hospitality facilities will contribute to the sector’s development in Italy, improving the quality of what we have to offer by significantly reducing both noise and atmospheric pollution. It will boost our nation’s competitivity too”
– Francesco Starace, Enel CEO
Respect for the environment, innovation and sustainability
The main objectives of the memorandum of understanding include providing a practical response to the needs of travellers concerned about pollution and environmental protection. Thanks to the involvement of MiBACT, the agreement will actually promote e-mobility in our leading tourist cities, including by leveraging partnerships with other operators in the sector. The Memorandum paves the way for practical collaboration with the category associations and tourist sector bodies with the aim of installing charging points in hospitality-focused facilities through ad-hoc commercial solutions.
Dario Franceschini also revealed that the Memorandum aims to extend the agreements to a growing number of tourist localities and businesses, starting with the Italian Capitals of Culture, the smaller islands and similar districts (such as the Argentario area, in Tuscany, and the Sorrento Peninsula, near Naples).
“We are proud to sign this memorandum with Enel as it incentivises quality tourism that respects the environment, our nation’s rich cultural heritage and people’s needs. There is no such thing as sustainable tourism without sustainable mobility, which is one of the goals of the Strategic Tourism Plan 2017-2022”
– Dario Franceschini, Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism
Francesco Venturini then cited a case that illustrates the situation brilliantly. Repeated requests from Northern European customers, who are traditionally more familiar with sustainable mobility, encouraged the managers of a tourist hospitality facility in Tuscany to have charging points installed. The decision quickly paid off: in the months that followed, arrivals at the facility grew faster than ever before. This proves that there is market demand in Europe which, if left unheeded, could see Italy miss out on huge development opportunities.
“This memorandum facilitates the movement of tourists, including from abroad. Sustainability to us is not just environmental – it is also industrial, and e-mobility allows us to meet all those needs as well as to grab the opportunities that the energy transition is affording us”
– Francesco Venturini, Enel X CEO
The national plan in numbers
The memorandum of understanding’s aims will also help reinforce the National Plan for Installing Charging Infrastructure for electric vehicles launched by Enel at the Vallelunga Circuit in November 2017. By the end of 2020, 7,000 charging points will have been installed and, within the following two years, that number will have doubled to 14,000.
This will meet the needs of both Italy’s resident population, who will be able to drive happily around cities and the country without worrying about running flat, and also the “mobile population” travelling around as tourists.
Through the use of advanced computer technology and remote management, electric mobility will become a driving force for various industrial sectors. According to Mr Franceschini tourism contributes a massive €103.6 billion to the Italian economy (6.9% of the total).
Leading-edge destinations
Enel recently made further important strides in sustainable tourism mobility. In March 2017, Italy’s first electric car eco-tour initiative was launched as the result of an agreement between our Group and a leading car rental firm, Sicily by Car. Visitors availing of a fleet of 200 Renault ZOEs can now explore Sicily carefree thanks to the network of 40 charging points provided for by the project. Added to these will be 160 charging points Enel X will install over the next 2 years as part of the new Italian infrastructure plan. Electric car rental has also arrived on the island of Ischia, where 12 charging points have been installed. This figure will rise to 30 at all the Neapolitan island’s most strategic locations by the end of the year – and that is in addition to those provided by the 15 hotels affiliated with Enel’s “Ischia isola verde” (“Ischia Green island”) project and the Emotion startups.
Our Group is also one of the leading partners in a pilot project that will see the creation of an innovative integrated system for zero-impact mobility between Isola del Giglio, Monte Argentario and Orbetello (in Tuscany): Life for Silver Coast is part of the European Commission’s LIFE+ programme and involves municipalities, citizens and representatives of the main local tourist and artisan sector associations.
Dialogue with private operators is also being flanked by dialogue with the various public institutions in order to boost citizens’ awareness of sustainable mobility and get them directly involved in this e-Mobility Revolution. Enel isn’t just opening the way forward, it’s powering it too!