According to a recently published report the Italian government as well as the industry is pushing for electric vehicle development. With a new regulation and several new projects Italy is getting ready for the EVolution.

A new report from IDC Energy Insights points out that a new Italian regulation will help the electric vehicle development. The modification of an existing regulation by the Italian Authority offers to private buildings with parking spaces the option to ask the electricity suppliers for more delivery points and smart meters to specifically charge electric vehicles. The same also applies to business parking areas.

"Finalisation of business models to be adopted is still to come, but what matters at this stage is that new initiatives are taking place and will test solutions in the real world. Italy is only one of the many European countries investing in the development of an EV infrastructure. There are a number of initiatives taking place in Germany, France, the U.K., Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and others. The EU Green Cars Initiative allocated about $7 billion (€5 billion) - $5.56 billion (€4 billion) in loans from the European Investment Bank, and $1.4 billion (€1 billion) for research," says Roberta Bigliani, EMEA Research Director for IDC Energy Insights.

Industry projects for Italian e-mobility

The report also gives the example of two major projects that are only the first steps towards the electrification of transport in Italy and Europe.

The Italian utility ENEL will start in September 2010 a project called “emobility Italy”. It is a company collaboration with Daimler and is planning to bring about 100 full-electric Smarts to the streets of Rome, Milan and Pisa. Starting this month, over 400 public and private charging stations will be set up by ENEL. So far, the feedback from the Italian citizens is very positive, as ENEL has received over 2000 requests to become a test driver for this project.

As the first electric vehicle experimentation in Italy, the pilot project “E-Moving” started in June 2010. Multi-utility A2A is collaborating with the Renault-Nissan Alliance for the joint development of electric mobility projects in Lombardy, Northern Italy. The initiative is scheduled to run for one year with the objective to test the components of the electric mobility model designed in partnership by Renault and A2A, including:

• Technology and distribution of charging infrastructures;
• Commercial processes and offerings (sales and rental solutions for electric vehicles);
• Interaction between the charging network and the vehicles;
• Electricity supply for the vehicles and associated invoicing systems;
• Battery management; and
• Electric vehicle maintenance

Two cities in the Lombardy region will be fitted with 270 charging points by the end of 2010. Around 150 charging points will be located in public areas, with the remaining to be installed in private houses. As part of this project, consumers and businesses will be able to test the first 60 Renault EVs to arrive in Italy, namely the Kangoo Express Z.E. light utility vehicle for business use and the Renault Fluence Z.E., a family sedan for both private and professional use.