THELatin america is becoming a reference market for sustainable urban mobility e Enel she was ready. The Italian company, which ranks second in the world in terms of e-buses managed (6.300 vehicles), is already the largest operator of electric mobility in Latin American continent: 50% of the electric buses served in Colombia and Chile, and 20% in Mexico, rely on the technology provided by Enel it also arrived in Brazil, in Sao Paulo. In the most populous metropolitan area of South America, with over 20 million inhabitants, 13 thousand diesel buses currently circulate, and according to the Municipality's program by the end of 2024 there will be 2.600 electric ones: the first 50, some of which are already function (the others by the end of 2023), are all signed by Enel
Enel X conquers Brazil
The know-how offered by the Italian group, widely present in Brazil where fsupplies energy to 17 million customers, produces renewable energy and also renovated the LED lighting system of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the most visited monument in South America, has made headlines in the local press. Enel new green fleet of Sao Paulo and the service includes, according to what the company explains, electric buses (which are not produced directly but included in the proposal thanks to partnerships with Brazilian companies that provide a single periodic fee instead of an expensive initial investment); the installation of charging stations and the energy infrastructure to be installed in operators' depots; the construction of depots, when necessary; the supply of green energy; and software for remotely monitoring, managing and optimizing fleet operations.
After Sao Paulo, other cities are arriving
“In the last year – he commented Carlos Eduardo Cardoso de Souza, director of institutional affairs of Enel in Brazil – we did six pilot projects in different cities. Our work consists of experimentation, in close collaboration with all suppliers, and then in the know-how we put into the installation and management of the infrastructure. But in the end whoever chooses is the operator, so it is important to offer the technology that offers the greatest competitive advantages, in particular technical, warranty and maintenance advantages for example". On the radar of the Italian company, in addition to Sao Paulo (which with the first 50 electric buses becomes the first Brazilian city in terms of number), there are Salvador, Sao José dos Campos and Vitoria, where very small fleets already exist.
The importance of the Brazilian market
The entry into the Brazilian market, which is the leading economy in the area and this year it will grow at 3%, above expectations, it is important not only for the numerical potential of the bus fleets to be renewed in large cities (the country has over 200 million inhabitants and urban centers with at least 1 million residents are 17 ), but also for the enormous capacity of production of renewable sources. Brazil in fact, despite President Lula's contradictory and not always convincing policy on the protection of the Amazon, it is increasingly a reference worldwide for clean energy: in the first quarter of this year it recorded a 12-year record, reaching a 90% share of energy from renewable sources of the total consumed in the country and is present in all sectors, from hydroelectric to wind, from solar to biomass.
Urban electric mobility: the C40 network plan
Behind South America's growth in urban electric mobility there is a precise plan, which refers to network C40, the network founded by mayors 40 city in the world who are committed to a sustainable future and of which, in Italy, Milan and Rome are part. The aspirants Smart cities There are now many more who have joined and there are many more among them 12 in Latin America: Bogota, Curitiba, Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Lima, Medellin, Mexico City, Quito, Santiago de Chile, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Salvador. In these realities the ZEBRA project – “Zero Emission Bus Rapid-deployment Accelerator”, which provides public funds for sustainable urban mobility and subsidized financing tools from institutions. But above all, Enel X explains, the winning formula is given by development of innovative business models, such as separating bus ownership from service management, which alleviates financial barriers and allows for greater distribution of risk among stakeholders. Enel a November presents the new industrial plan: other news on international projects cannot be ruled out.
