La electric mobility begins to affect the hydrocarbon distribution network. If the European goal is (for now) to have only zero-emission cars by 2035, more is needed charging stations electric. The strategists of the car manufacturers who are preparing for tomorrow are well aware of this. A few days before Christmas, Enel x Way and Volkswagen Group presented in Rome "Ewiva“, a joint venture that will build 800 charging stations throughout Italy over the next two years. The plants to be built will have a very versatile power of 150 and 350 kW. The first and largest of these structures was inaugurated on the Via Flaminia, right in the spaces of an Enel X Way headquarters. It houses 14 modern chargers, all powered by renewable sources.
A Napoli, on the other hand, has just come into operation before purchasing, service area entirely dedicated to recharging electric cars. An old, non-functioning petrol station in the Mostra d'Oltremare area was converted and reclaimed in a few months to make room for the columns. The petrol and diesel dispensers have been replaced by devices with a maximum electrical power of 360 kW in an entirely green environment. The Super Fast facility belongs to the Company UnicoGo and is located in an area of the city with a high traffic intensity, a few meters from the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium and the Polytechnic University.
Electric mobility is also central in the PNRR
In 2022, the Mostra d'Oltremare body called for an expression of interest for the old abandoned distributor. The best offer was made by the Company of which he is Chief Executive Officer Aldo Arcangioli, already active in the urban mobility sector. The mayor of Naples also attended the inauguration of the new site Gaetano Manfredi which with the municipal council is developing initiatives for a different mobility in one of the most congested cities in Italy. “We are thrilled that this project, with attention to the smallest details, has started. It is a service that adapts to the needs of electric drivers who, in a strategic point of Naples, will be able to recharge in a fast and smart way”, says Arcangioli. The project curated by the architect John Bartolo, it is a "green refurbishment of sites that switch from fuel to electricity". There are photovoltaic panels everywhere both for technical reasons and for environmental impact. In Naples, there are charging stations in public spaces, but a specific structure for some motorists marks a turning point and an incentive to renew the car fleet.
Who invests and how in the sector?
Can the three-way working method – public body, municipality, private company – be taken as a model? Why not? Says the President of the Mostra D'Oltremare, Remo Minopoli. "I hope that this virtuous action can become a model to follow for the countless abandoned fuel stations throughout the country". And it's true. Just make a census of the pumps abandoned for the most diverse reasons and then intervene. The two operations in Rome and Naples - Enel x Way - Volkswagen and UnicoGo - on balance show an entrepreneurial orientation that looks to the future and capitalizes on economic and cultural resources.
THEtechnology , green economy must be cultivated from different angles. It is no coincidence that the need to create a widespread network of recharging points from North to South is also referred to in the PNRR for that part relating to public funding. But how Ewiva's future stations will be built in city centres, suburban areas and main arteries, to "ride the novelty rather than deny it", as supports the Chief Executive Officer of Enel, Francesco Starace, private individuals will also be able to make targeted investments. Because in one way or another, electric mobility will be central to the near future energy transition.
