- Innovative charging solutions have been tailored to the needs of individuals, companies and government bodies. The “smart streetlight” that provides public lighting and charges electric vehicles was also unveiled.
- Agreements for the installation of about 4,300 charging stations have been signed with industrial, commercial and government organisations that will enable the roll-out of 60-80 stations a week. To date, 680 new stations have been installed.
- The first 100 Fast Recharge stations of the European EVA+ project are operational on extra-urban roads.
Rome, September 21st, 2018 - Electric mobility is expanding rapidly worldwide, with the pace of growth exceeding all expectations as 4 million vehicles have been sold to date. Positive signs have also emerged in Italy, with an acceleration of registrations of plug-ins and fully electric vehicles, which have doubled in the first eight months of 2018 compared with the same period of 2017.
Enel X is continuing with the implementation of the national charging infrastructure plan and is launching new “intelligent charging solutions”, modular, scalable turn-key solutions designed for individuals, companies and government organisations. The new offers and the state of progress of the programme were presented today at the Vallelunga race track by Francesco Venturini, Head of Enel X, and Alberto Piglia, Head of e-Mobility at Enel X. Concluding the presentation was Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel.
"Our challenge is to drive the energy transition, with electricity as the main vector to achieve deep decarbonisation of all sectors, first and foremost transportation,” said Francesco Starace, Enel's Chief Executive Officer and General Manager. “Electric mobility is a ‘revolution in progress’ and Italy starts with the advantage as it already has a fully digitalised grid. To implement our national charging infrastructure plan, we have already signed agreements for about 4,300 charging stations with government administrations as well as industrial and commercial companies, which will enable us to proceed swiftly to ensure that the electric car becomes a vehicle for everybody.”
“Electric mobility is today, not the future,” stated Francesco Venturini, Head of Enel X. “The data on the growth of registrations of electric vehicles in Italy are encouraging and offer enormous opportunities for the Italian companies involved. Today we are presenting a range of services and integrated offers that meet the diverse mobility needs of all our customers and their requirements at different times of the day. There is still much to be done and to effectively promote the sector in our country we believe it is necessary to develop a State-Regions framework agreement to harmonise and standardise municipal rules and the distribution of infrastructure.”
THE “INTELLIGENT CHARGING SOLUTIONS” OF ENEL X
Enel X introduces the “Juice family”, a complete, modular and scalable range of products ready to grow in tandem with the electric mobility market.
JuiceBox
This is the new box station that is installed at private premises: it is connected, to monitor the charging status of the vehicle in real time from a smartphone. The JuiceBox is compact and intuitive, signalling its status with different colours (green, yellow or red indicating that it is recharging, booked or out of service, respectively).
JuicePole
This is the roadside charging station replacing the pole stations that since 2007 have been installed in the first phase of the implementation of the public charging infrastructure. Starting from the end of the year, the JuicePole will be rolled-out in cities, facilitating the charging experience thanks to a new screen and integration with the new Enel X Recharge app.
It can simultaneously charge two cars with 22 kW of AC power and is equipped with the leading connectivity technology: it can be activated through the app or using a card and is set up for contactless payment. In addition to credit cards, the Apple/Samsung Pay systems are also accepted.
The JuiceBox – which is also available in a commercial version - and the JuicePole are ideal components for charging corporate vehicle fleets, for which the “electric revolution” has already begun: the total cost of ownership of electric vehicles already makes the migration of parts of a company’s fleet to fully electric financially attractive. In addition, the facilitated terms offered by Italian municipalities make the electric vehicles particularly suitable for users who need access to restricted traffic zones. The adoption of local zero-emission vehicles is also essential for all fleets pursuing targets for the reduction of average fleet CO2 emissions.
With its long-term rental partners, Enel X can:
- assist companies in analysing fleet operations, offering charging solutions and vehicles optimised on the basis of specific customer needs;
- provide a comprehensive tool for the management of charging infrastructure: Recharge Manager
- expand charging infrastructure in step with fleet requirements: JuiceStation is a solution that enables companies to economically and effectively connect a series of commercial JuiceBoxes.
Enel X is looking for RechargePartners: shopping centres, supermarkets, gyms, restaurants and hotels that want to attract a select group of customers who are particularly attentive to technology trends, such as today’s electric car users. Enel X has begun an experimental cooperation programme with major operators, providing installation and maintenance at no cost in exchange for the availability of their parking areas for eight years. Starting in January, Enel X will open the programme to all commercial activities.
Electric mobility is a solution for all Italian municipalities that want to improve air quality and take the road to environmental sustainability: for this reason, Enel X supports municipal technical offices in identifying the most appropriate solutions, providing the installation and maintenance of the entire infrastructure at no cost.
JuiceLamp
This is a solution created by Enel X that integrates public lighting with the charging infrastructure: it is an “intelligent LED lamp” that, in addition to ensuring high efficiency and allowing for remote operation, enables two cars to charge at the same time, using either the app or a card. The JuiceLamp is also set up for video surveillance, air quality monitoring and fibre connectivity or urban Wi-Fi.
THE ENEL MOBILITY NATIONAL PLAN
Enel has undertaken a five-year plan for installing charging infrastructure in Italy: 14,000 stations by 2022, with a total investment of up to 300 million euros. The Enel plan envisages comprehensive coverage in all Italian regions. It is a dynamic, flexible plan, open to all those (public and/or private organisations) who wish to collaborate on expanding electric mobility in Italy. This vast network will help overcome the fear of running out of power (so-called range anxiety) and accelerate the offering of electric cars in Italy, stimulating car manufacturers to bring new models to the market.
The plan envisages the installation of 22 kW (Quick) charging stations, 50 kW (Fast) stations and over 150 kW (Ultrafast) stations.
To implement the plan, in addition to government administrations, private-sector actors are being involved, proposing the installation of charging infrastructure in shopping centres or reaching agreements with car manufacturers. Enel X is pursuing agreements for the installation of more than 13,000 charging stations, of which accords for about 4,300 stations have already been signed. These agreements are enabling the installation of 60-80 stations a week. To date, 680 new public charging stations have been installed under the plan.
THE EVA+ PROGRAMME: THE FIRST 100 STATIONS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED
The Italy Plan also includes important strategic projects that Enel X is carrying out with European partners, such as the EVA+ project, funded by the European Community, which provides for the installation of Fast Recharge columns along major road arteries in Italy, with the aim of installing 180 charging stations by the end of 2018. The first 100 stations have been installed and activated, enabling users to charge an electric vehicle in about 20 minutes.
Enel X is also collaborating with the Ionity consortium to install and operate the first ultrafast stations in Italy, involving 20 sites that will host up to six stations each, capable of fully charging current and next generation electric vehicles in 15-30 minutes.