Technology is pushing. Taxes are being pushed, partly out of necessity and partly out of greed. And this time, the usual seesaw between bombastic promises and counter-action could dangerously slow down the drive toward cleaner, more affordable mobility. A real shame, because today, already today, electric mobility it saves us moneyand, albeit on two conditions. We must recharge at home With domestic tariffs or carefully choose a subscription plan for public charging stations, because otherwise, charging saves us little or nothing compared to a similar combustion engine vehicle. Meanwhile, we have to endure the not-always-easy search for a charging point when we're out and about and our vehicle runs out of electrons, resigning ourselves to a far-from-instantaneous refueling.
But here are the pleasant surprises: with the new models of cars and motorbikes the battery capacity increases to the point where you don't miss the autonomy of a traditional petrol tank. Meanwhile, public charging stations are spreading with good acceleration and new charging technologies promise a refueling of electrons in less than a quarter of an hour.
Problems virtually overcome, then. Make way for incentives that reward electric vehicles (for now) in terms of purchase, circulation, and parking in the city. Above all, make way for the economic advantage: with a little attention (home charging, season tickets), we can cut costs per kilometer by half or even more compared to an equivalent internal combustion engine. In the hope, of course, that the entire electricity generation strategy accelerates its path toward alternatives to hydrocarbons with the increasing use of renewable and, with all the unknowns that this entails, to new-generation nuclear power.
But here is the possible blow, the real one Counter-Reformation which contradicts all the announcements of our politicians who promise and give away new incentives also in the name of a general oil-barrel-cutting electrification, such as the new subsidies dedicated to the columns for home and condominium charging launched in recent days.
The game is about common sense, but also the fragile balance of public financeYes, because if gasoline and diesel sales were to decline significantly, the state would have to forgo the substantial tax revenue that comes with them. These are colossal figures considering that approximately 50% of our fuel bill, which in our country exceeds a whopping 70 billion euros per year, is siphoned off into state coffers in the form of taxes.
Offsetting the potential loss by increasing the tax burden on the new "fuel" of electrons dedicated to transport? Everyone is thinking about it, including not from today our Government. And now the signals are gaining strength and substance, both within us and beyond the borders, in the wake of the understandable but nevertheless disturbing game of LOBBY which also comes from our oil companies.
Technology that pushes. Supercharging is coming.
Ever-faster charging, ever-larger battery capacity. A new decisive step forward comes from the integrated Chinese automotive group. Geely, a giant that has acquired, among other things, the Swedish company Volvo and, together with Mercedes, is about to launch the new, highly anticipated, small electric Smart on global markets. An almost complete recharge in less than 10 minutes? If the announcement is followed by a public demonstration, Geely would also beat the other Chinese competitor giant in its attack on European markets. Byd.
The new integrated charging system is called Geely Smart Charging and incorporates many of the technological-futuristic suggestions that are currently taking centre stage. It works with theartificial intelligence to reduce charging times by meticulously monitoring the battery temperature (perhaps the most critical factor) and coordinating it with the charging intensity, cutting the operation times and extending the operating life of the battery itself, which still today represents the most critical and expensive element of the entire electric vehicle.
Result: The new generation of Geely Smart Charging stations promises a peak power of over 2 kilowatts (kW), an enormous amount, which surpasses by a mile the super-charger presented (and demonstrated) by BYD just a few months ago. In practice? In the tests described by Geely, carried out on standard vehicles already in circulation, namely the Lynk & Co 10 and the Zeekr 001, charging from 10 to 70% took only four minutes and 30 seconds, while charging from 10 to 97% (practically a full charge of electrons from zero) took eight minutes and 40 seconds. The problem of the charging times compared to the refueling of petrol would be eliminated.
Electrons versus hydrocarbons. New savings estimates.
Let's get back to the savings that are still guaranteed today (tax permitting) by an electric vehicle. The updated figures come from the consumer association Adiconsum, in the August 2026 edition of its National Observatory on the prices of charging tariffs.
In summary: in the case of the most favourable scenario for prices, i.e. a home recharge with the housewife rateIf this were the only charging method used (a somewhat extreme scenario, not easily achievable) over a mileage of 10 kilometers in a year, the cost of electricity would be approximately 325 euros compared to 1.090 euros for a corresponding diesel car and 1.151 euros for a petrol vehicle (less expensive, but calculated on the basis of a higher average consumption than the more efficient diesel engine).
More in detail, as the analysts of eGazetteFor an electric car that consumes 13 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per 100 kilometers in the city, a home charge at 0,25 euros per kWh costs 3,25 euros per 100 km, a saving of 7,65 euros compared to diesel, 8,26 euros compared to gasoline, and 2,84 euros compared to LPG. The annual savings would be 765, 826, and 284 euros, respectively.
More difficult – Adiconsum underlines – to compare the costs and the convenience thresholds in the case of top-ups at public columns, characterized by a multitude of tariffs, agreements, subscriptions and promotions. Generally speaking, we can confirm that charging at the charging station can vary from substantially equivalent to domestic charging (but these cases are very rare) to well over double, up to cancel the advantage Economical. This is why the consumer association "continues to call for greater transparency in the charging market."
The kilometre tax appears in England and elsewhere
Will the tax authorities disrupt everything and slow down the race? There's a risk. While here, temptations resurface Even in institutional dossiers, the bad example comes from England. Which at least announces the blow well in advance. The British tax linked to the kilometers traveled by an electric vehicle will come into force on April 1, 1028. Called Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED), it will apply differently to fully electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and even hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles. The reason: loss of revenue fiscal, precisely, with the progressive transition of motorists to electric.
As defined in a government document Published last July, the initial tariff, which may also be adjusted based on inflation, will be 3 cents per mile for both fully electric and hydrogen-powered cars, while it will be half that, 1,5 cents per mile, for plug-in cars, considering that these share the electric propulsion with the already heavily taxed combustion engine.
Definitely brainless the application mechanismEach year, vehicle owners will be required to report their mileage, estimate their mileage for the following year, and pay the fee, possibly in installments, for a final adjustment at the end of the period. Government estimates suggest the tax will affect approximately 5,6 million vehicles in the first two years of its implementation, generating over £1 billion for the state coffers, rising to nearly £1 billion in the following two years and just under £2 billion after 2030.
Will the British set a precedent? They're already doing so, and not just in countries with which they're closely related. In New Zealand, for two years now, light electric cars have been charged $76 (just under €39) per 1.000 kilometers, with a slight discount for plug-in hybrids. The implementation mechanism is simpler: drivers buy mileage vouchers in advance and top them up along the way.
But be careful of what is happening very close by, in SwitzerlandThe Federal Council has launched a consultation on two alternatives for taxing electric vehicles starting in 2030, again to offset the potential cost of lower fuel consumption. The first solution involves a mileage tax differentiated based on the vehicle's weight, but which should average approximately 58 euro cents per kilometer. The second solution involves a direct debit on the electricity used for charging.
In short, our government (and perhaps the next one too) has some excuse to fuel fiscal hunger in this way. Perhaps it will take inspiration from those who have already gone ahead and explored charging taxes. Or from those, and there are many, who have begun to dismantle, one by one, the other incentives still available for electric vehicles. Come on! bonus From purchasing to installing home charging stations, from road tax discounts to exemptions from paid parking. Prepare for an unpleasant farewell.
