For Formula E Grand Prix in Rome Saturday, April 14 was race day. Racing cars on the track, autographs with the champions and ten fully electric single-seaters to challenge each other with their subdued "roar" (40% decibels less than Formula 1) for 33 laps of 2,8 kilometers at a maximum speed of 225 km / hour between palaces and monuments of Eur.
Race cars are always a great show, first and foremost. But there is there is also much more behind the super-fast electric car show: Francesco Venturini, head of Enel X, Official Smart Charge Technology Partner and Official Power Partner for the next five seasons of the electric road car championship, explains it to us in this interview. “For us, as an Enel group – he immediately makes it clear – Formula E is a test bed where we test the most advanced technologies we have available for electric mobility and for the management of closed energy systems, such as that of the circuit. On a small scale, this is what the Smart city of the near future will be like”.
Does it mean that what we saw in Rome replicates on a small scale what cities could become in 10 or 15 years?
“I hope even before 15 years, for that matter. We provide our own energy management solutions, smart meters and a fully digital network. All the energy supplied is certified from 100% renewable sources. We will show the public how electrical loads rotate, the peaks they generate and how they can be managed efficiently. Thanks to our charging technology from the next championship the cars will be able to complete the circuit without making stops to recharge the vehicle. In fact, we have decided to refocus our partnership with Formula-E on this aspect: the single-seaters from the next championships will be recharged through the new Superchargers with a power of 80 kW, about double the Fast Recharges found along the motorway corridors today. The new magazines are also lightweight, weighing less than 200 kilos and are portable. To put it in other words, so far we've been backstage, now let's get on track and enter the pits”.
What does it mean for a group like Enel, which already produces 46% of its energy globally from renewable sources, to take to the track with Formula E cars? What relapses have you had and do you expect?
“Three years ago, when we decided to enter the Formula E circuit, we did it on tiptoe. A real gamble that paid off, as demonstrated by the success of the previous editions and by the success of the Rome Grand Prix. They grew up and we grew up too. Not only. Formula E is a source of research: these powerful cars need equally powerful chargers. The big car manufacturers, especially the German ones, also ask us for them for the new car models they intend to launch on the market. Therefore we are working on 80 kW chargers, but also on 150 and up to 350 kW. Our interest is to develop the technology and get it on the road as quickly as possible."
Which car manufacturers participate in Formula E?
“The car industry has followed the same approach as us: first with indirect roles when the electric Grand Prix was in its infancy. Later, when she was seen to be growing successfully, everyone came forward. To name a few, from Abb to Mercedes, from Audi to Renault and Jaguar. Magneti Marelli supplies the power train, the other half of the engine. And then there's Mac Laren for the electronics, Brembo for the brakes and Michelin for the tyres”.
Technology also gallops for batteries…
“Investments in batteries in the world are reaching gigantic figures which reflect the sharp drop in prices that has occurred in recent years. And that's not all: from the current $270/KWh, it is expected that the price will reach $70/KWh in 2030. The capacity of the batteries is simultaneously increasing, it is a continuous evolution that has an impact on the development of the columns of charging, for this reason we are focusing so much on this technology. We have extensive experience in this area: of the approximately 30.000 charging stations we have sold worldwide, 26.000 are in the USA and 4.000 are in Europe.
By the way, how is the plan for the diffusion of the 14.000 public columns in Italy going?
"We announced it last November and said we would start this year. Our goal is to install around 2.500 public chargers already in 2018. So far we have closed almost 1.500 agreements, around 60% of the total that we have as our goal for 2018, we are addressing above all the municipalities but while a part of the Public Administration has understood, another part is still stuck”.
What difficulties do you encounter and what should be done to remove them?
“I think the main problem in Italy is that there is no clear indication of where you want to go. There are 8.500 Municipalities, each of which proceeds with its own mobility strategy and different procedures. An action plan at at least a regional level would be very useful, but no Region – despite having precise responsibilities assigned for energy – has yet done so so far”.
How is the electric car industry progressing? Tesla after so many announcements seems to have recorded a setback with Model 3…
“We look at things realistically. It is a company that set itself the task of doing in 6 months what others do in 12, putting stress on its organization and suppliers. But Tesla remains a large company, with an unprecedented level of robotization and valid products. The other car manufacturers look at it as a hare to be chased. More generally, the models currently on sale are a fairly limited number but the success enjoyed by some of them is impressive, such as the Nissan Leaf which has sold 20 cars since the start of the year. By now in the world the productions are divided between petrol engines and electric motors. It doesn't seem to me that other technologies are now being taken seriously anymore".
For example the methane gas car?
“There is a lot of talk about it in Italy where there is a great capillarity of the methane network. If we look at the distribution points for cars in our country, there are around 1000, the eventual expansion of which would need to be financed. These are important costs and in a world that is evolving in another direction it is not fair that they should be charged to the gas distribution tariff”.
