- Electric mobility is essential for tackling the climate crisis and achieving decarbonization targets;The number of electric cars worldwide is rapidly growing: there are currently more than 7 million of electric road vehicles for passengers or goods in the world (compared to 1.5 million in 2016);
- Ermete Realacci, President of Symbola, said: “The 100 stories represent Italian excellence in electric mobility and also show that our country has the energy to overcome the crisis. Together we must build a more people-oriented economy and society, and therefore one that is more capable in the future, more attentive to the climate crisis, more fair, more resilient and competitive.”
- Francesco Starace, the CEO of Enel, said: “The increasing concentration of the world's population in very large metropolitan areas calls for a rethinking of many lifestyles. This inevitably involves sustainable mobility, both public and private, which is not harmful to the environment, strongly present and increasingly electric."
- Pietro Gorlier, COO of FCA, said: “Electric cars must be designed and included in a much wider eco-system and, in order for them to be accessible to everyone, there must be an underlying system made of recharging infrastructures, adequate energy costs, dedicated parking spaces, simplified management of public land for the installation of recharging stations, measures to support demand, as well as a redevelopment plan for the industrial suplly chain.”
Rome, July 8th, 2020 – Italian e-mobility told in 100 stories of companies, research centers and associations that, in their own segment, are contributing to the development of electric mobility. From the design phase to the production of vehicles, from components to batteries, up to charging infrastructures: Italy plays a leading role in the revolution of sustainable mobility.
In collaboration with FCA, this year the Symbola foundation and Enel have collected and recounted the experience of one hundred excellences of Made in Italy e-mobility, in the third edition of "100 Italian E-Mobility Stories 2020” presented today by Ermete Realacci, President of the Symbola foundation; Francesco Starace, CEO and General Manager of Enel; Francesco Venturini, CEO of Enel X; Pietro Gorlier, Chief Operating Officer EMEA of FCA; Roberto Di Stefano, Head of EMEA e-Mobility FCA, in the presence of the Italian Undersecretary for Economic Development, Alessandra Todde. The event was also attended by Livia Cevolini, CEO of Energica Motor Company, Silvio Angori of Pininfarina, Silvia Bodoardo of the Politecnico di Torino University, Francesco Paolo Ausiello of ART-ER and Massimo Panzeri of Atala. The event was moderated by Francesca Grimaldi, journalist and host of Tg1.
Symbola foundation President Ermete Realacci said, “The 100 stories of companies, associations and research centers represent Italian excellence in electric mobility and demonstrate that Italy is already working on the mobility of the future. The industry described by Symbola and Enel, in collaboration with FCA, also explains how our country has the energy to overcome the crisis. With the contribution of the best technological, institutional, political, social and cultural energies, as stated in the Assisi Manifesto, together we must build a more people-oriented economy and society, and therefore more capable in the future, more attentive to the climate crisis, fairer, more resilient and more competitive. A path for overcoming the crisis brought about by the pandemic, which sees sustainability and the challenge of climate change as the way towards restarting the economy and orienting it towards a new future.”
“We tell the story of an Italy that plays a leading role in the transition process towards sustainable mobility: 100 stories of ideas, technologies and projects carried out with passion and determination, which represent an important economic opportunity and contribute to the development of the automotive sector and the whole country," said Francesco Starace, CEO and General Manager of Enel. “The increasing concentration of the world's population in very large metropolitan areas calls for rethinking of many lifestyles. This inevitably involves sustainable mobility, both public and private, which is not harmful to the environment, has a strong presence and is increasingly electric."
Pietro Gorlier, FCA Chief Operating Officer, said: “Our e-Mobility continues to develop and become increasingly articulated, with numerous agreements to offer solutions that simplify the lives of those who buy and use our electric or hybrid cars. Electric cars must be designed and included in a much wider eco-system and, in order for them to be accessible to everyone, there must be an underlying system made of recharging infrastructures, adequate energy costs, dedicated parking spaces, simplified management of public land for the installation of recharging stations, as well as a redevelopment plan for the industrial supply chain. The Italian market for electrified vehicles is certainly growing (the share of vehicles included in the range from 0 to 60 g / km of CO2 went from 1% in 2019 to 3.5% in the first months of 2020) but is still characterized from a very limited penetration also due to the system constraints described ".
Mobility is entering a new, more sustainable and efficient era. This is a sector that, precisely in the tricky economic phase that we are going through, confirms the investments of manufacturers and Europe through the Green Deal, which will be one of the main axles of recovery. The evolution of technology, the need to reduce the impacts and effects of traditional mobility on human health in the world's megacities, the multiplication of policies and the huge investments of car manufacturers make us declare with well-founded optimism that we are at a turning point for electric mobility. The entry of electric cars and electric scooters in the ISTAT analyses at the beginning of 2020 ratifies the presence of these technologies in everyday life. In recent years, Italians have seen the progressive growth of charging stations, hybrid and electric cars in circulation, but above all e-bikes and electric scooters that are now part of our urban landscape. A transition that is told through 100 stories of companies, universities, research centers and third-sector companies that represent the e-mobility production chain. From large design firms committed to redefining the shape and style of the vehicles of the future, to component manufacturers called upon to lighten the weight of vehicles with the use of new materials (such as light alloys, aluminum and titanium instead of steel) to vehicle manufacturers, including smaller ones, for the different forms of mobility that have emerged in the meantime, including first and foremost car sharing.
The number of electric cars worldwide is rapidly growing
There are currently more than 7 million electric vehicles for passengers or goods in the world (there were 1.5 in 2016), of which more than 3 million in China and almost 2 million in Europe, where Norway is the leading position (320,000 electric cars circulate in the country, with only 5 million inhabitants). While total vehicle registrations fell sharply in Europe in the first three months of 2020, there was no decrease in the number of electric and hybrid cars. There were 228,210 registrations (+81.7% over the first quarter of 2019) of electric cars (ECV=BEV+PHEV) and 310,308 (+49%) of hybrid cars (HEV, mild-full hybrid). In the same period, the sale of hybrid cars in Italy – almost half (48%) of the alternative power supply mobility market – exceeded that of gas-fueled cars (40.5%), which is traditionally stronger in the national market.
Italy can be on the front line
As described in this report, Italy can play a leading role in this new market thanks to its wide spectrum of skills and technologies along the entire supply chain: from car manufacturers to those who produce e-bikes (in 2019, Italy was confirmed as the top-ranking European bicycle manufacturer and exporter) and light vehicles, from scooters and electric buses. The heart of this chain lies in components, in which Italian companies create, prototype and manufacture motors, stators, brakes, electronics and components, as well as bodies and battery packs with the presence of a Battery Hub dedicated to assembly in Turin. The chain also includes designers, called upon around the world to rethink the new forms of electric mobility. In order to reach the most advanced forms of mobility, there is no shortage of sharing services, multi-utilities, charging solutions, related apps, the studies and communications by associations supporting the supply chain. A system that is rich with skills, which are distributed throughout Italy, concentrated in some centers such as the hub of Turin, the Emilian Motor Valley, the Brescia district and the Abruzzo automotive hub.
The electric car beats the internal combustion car
Considering the entire cycle from the well to the wheel, an electric car produces 60% less emissions than an internal combustion vehicle (using the average value of CO2 emissions from internal combustion vehicles in EU countries as a reference). This advantage will further improve over time thanks to the acceleration of the decarbonization process in the energy sector and the gradual increase in the share of renewable energies in the global generation mix (in Italy, 1/3 of the energy distributed is already produced from renewable sources). Once used to power electric vehicles, batteries will also be increasingly used both as electric energy accumulators (for example for photovoltaic panels) and for the recovery of precious elements (such as lithium, nickel and cobalt) that will thus be reused in line with a circular economy approach. As “100 Italian E-Mobility Stories 2020” shows, our companies and research centers are ready and already taking on the challenge of new mobility. The electric car combines innovation from other sectors, starting from the power grid, focusing on engine efficiency, on battery durability, on the electric retrofitting of traditional cars, on the recovery of materials in a circular approach.
The 100 stories told include:
1000 Miglia, A2A Group, ACI Vallelunga, Alkè, alpitronic, ANFIA, Angelantoni Test Technologies, Archimede Energia, ART-ER, Askoll, Atala, Atena, Atop, Be Charge, Benevelli, Bettery, Bitron, Bonfiglioli, Brembo, Cecomp, CIVES, CNR, Cobat, COMAU, Corrente, Dallara, Daze Technology, Duferco Energia, E-Shock, Elettricità Futura, Emoby, ENEA, ENEL X, Energica Motor Company, eProInn, Estrima, Euro Group, Euromobility, FAAM, Ferrari, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Fimer, FIVE, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, GaiaGo, Gewiss, GFG Style, GoVolt, Gnutti Carlo Group, Hera Group, IED - European Institute of Design, IIT, Iren, Italmatch Chemicals, Iveco, JRC - Joint Research Centre ISPRA, Kaitek, Kyoto Club, L.M. Gianetti, Legambiente, Loccioni, Marposs, Maserati, Me Scooter, Meg Impianti, MiMoto Smart Mobility, MOTUS-E, Neogy, NITO - Nuova Industria Torinese, No.Do, Oddino Impianti, OMR Holding, Piaggio, Pininfarina, Podium Advanced Technologies, Politecnico di Milano University, Politecnico di Torino University, Privè, Rampini Carlo, Route220, RSE, Scame Parre, SicilybyCar, Sitael, STMicroelectronics, Targa Telematics, Taumat, Tazzari, Tecnomatic, Terna, The European House – Ambrosetti, University of L'Aquila, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, University of Genoa, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University of Padua, University of Bologna, Vaielettrico, Zed Milano.