Today there are more than 5 million electric vehicles on the world’s roads, a number that is set to rise in the years to come. The Electric Vehicle Outlook 2019 by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) estimates that by mid-century this figure will have exceeded 500 million. Sales are increasing in Italy, too, with the number of electric and hybrid vehicle registrations more than doubling in 2018 compared to the previous year. This trend is becoming even stronger in 2019. According to a report by the European House-Ambrosetti in collaboration with MOTUS-E entitled “Italy’s e-mobility industry”, by 2030 turnover for sector should increase from the current figure of around 6 billion euro to over 98 billion euro.
A sustainable path
The progress of the e-Mobility revolution is determined by a number of factors – the sustainability and decarbonisation goals set by the UN, technological innovation and the broadening of the charging infrastructure network.
Thanks to Enel X, our Group has been operating in this area for quite some time. As a world partner in ABB FIA Formula E motor racing and the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup in motorbike racing, we support competitive sports that act as a testbed for technology destined to shape the future of e-mobility.
In terms of infrastructure, we are working on the installation of a country-wide charging network in Italy for both public and private use, and it is becoming increasingly comprehensive, efficient and connected.
Technology in pole position
Sports partnerships, which enable us to test our charging systems to the full, and provide an incomparable experimental laboratory for our new technology.
The Misano World Circuit (13-15 September), on the Romagna riviera, marks the debut of MotoE in Italy, and is also the “home race” - the 18 riders taking part in the competition all use the same type of bike, a supersport model developed by Energica, the leading Italian company in the sector. It has a top speed of 270 km/h, and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just three seconds.
In its role as Official Smart Charging Partner, Enel X will supply the technology used to charge the bikes - the JuicePump, a solution that enables teams to charge e-vehicles up to 50 kW in a short time with constant current. This infrastructure can also be found on Italy’s roads, and can be used via the JuicePass app.
Through Enel X we are also the Official Smart Charging Partner and the Official Power Partner of Formula E racing, which has just concluded its fifth season. From this year onwards the racing cars, which reach 280 km/h with zero CO2 emissions, can complete the race with only one charge, no longer having to stop as they had to before. This technological development has been made possible by batteries with a greater storage capacity and the innovative JuicePump80 Formula E Edition charging infrastructure.
Limitless e-mobility
Through the National plan launched in 2017, our group aims to instal 14,000 charging points across Italy by the end of next year, rising to 28,000 by the end of 2022.
The plan involves investments of up to 300 million euro, providing for the installation of 22 kW Quick charging stations, located mainly in urban areas, joined by Fast (50 kW) and UltraFast (up to 350 kW) units in non-urban areas.
We are also extending the European charging network, and plan to instal over 36,000 public charging points by 2022, with the aim of speeding up e-vehicle use and decarbonisation in the transport sectors.
In June we also signed an interoperability agreement with the Smatrics and Ionity networks. This agreement enables users to use Enel X infrastructure in combination with a network of 6,000 partner charging points, with over 800 in 16 European countries.
To charge e-vehicles, Enel X clients can now use the latest version of the JuicePass App, which provides a complete, intuitive service. Once users have set up their profile, they can book charging points, manage payments and pay for services quickly and conveniently. The range of new functions includes Radar, which sends notifications on new charging points coming on stream within a radius of 100 kilometres, Recharging session performance tracking to monitor it in real time and eRatings to assess the charging experience.
A sustainable development opportunity
Our Group’s commitment to e-mobility is part of a wider decarbonisation and energy transition strategy, in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs). Here e-Mobility is set to play a crucial role, also through bidirectional Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology, which enables e-vehicles to store and despatch energy to help stabilise the grid.
But e-mobility is above all a powerful driver for the country’s development. Nowadays the sector’s Italian supply chain is growing at a rate of 28.7%, compared to 10.9% for traditional vehicles. The European House-Ambrosetti and MOTUS-E report predicts that over the next ten years the sector will acquire strategic importance for Italy in terms of value, jobs and know-how generated, involving over 10,000 companies.
