Cities in the member states of the European Union who wish to concretely initiate the mobility transition, facing the challenges of climate change, are encouraged to make contact with the EV Energy partners (Interreg Europe Programme, project’s duration: 2017-2021 https://www.interregeurope.eu/evenergy/).

The project aims to foster links between EU cities in exchanging and transferring good practices on sustainable-mobility, in particular, electric mobility and renewable energy. Through the project, local stakeholders can connect and gain new perspectives on pressing mobility issues.

The development of storage technologies, with progressive reduction of battery costs, together with the new Governmental incentives and a greater industrial competition are giving a great boost in Europe to the market of both plug-in hybrid cars and electric vehicles.

In Italy, policy measures that can expedite progress are placed in the National Strategic Framework of 14.01.2017 aiming to install a network of EV charging points (PNIRE), with the ambition to spread adequate e-infrastructures in the Italian territory for over 130,000 electric vehicles, adding to the current 9,000 e-charger points, up to 19,000 charge points including up to 6,000 “high power” charge points.

On 14 April 2018 Rome hosted for the first time the E-Prix, the Formula Electric Grand Prix that gave life to an unprecedented show of electric cars on a sensational circuit in the heart of the city’s Eur district. Immediately after the first E-Prix, in May 2018, the City Council of Rome approved a Plan for Electric Mobility, aimed at promoting the development of electric infrastructures. The Plan foresees an estimated need of 700 electric charging points for the Horizon 2020, considering an annual growth of electric vehicles in Rome equal to + 20%, based on an analysis of the estimate of the fleet of electric vehicles in the metropolitan area of Rome. The implementation of the Plan is ensured through call for tenders addressed to the private sector, with precise regulations on the modalities and conditions to implement e-infrastructures regarding: 1. exemption from “concession” charges for the occupation of public land, 2. signage to be adapted; 3. technical documentation and authorization process, 4. duration of concessions.

Together with the City Administration of Rome, another key actor is the Regional Administration, in the management of electric mobility for the territory of the Lazio region.

The Lazio Regional Administration has focused its program on the daily commuting  from the regional territory to the city of Rome: there are more than 800,000 of commuters a day to the workplace in the city centre, without counting the countless daily tourists from the Cruise ships of the Port of Civitavecchia, the daily students to the Rome’s universities, and the growing number of people who daily pours into Rome for health’s reasons to the hospital poles.

EV Energy involving the Lazio Region’s Mobility Management is the opportunity to launch a new Call for proposals on the 4.6.1 action aimed at creating new “Park & Ride” facilities, in the metropolitan area of Rome, mainly for daily commuters.

In light of the foregoing and with regard to the current process of good practices’ exchange and transfer within EV Energy project, the following 2 scenarios of action plan have emerged in the context of the Lazio region:

1. integration of Renewable energy E & E-infrastructures into the aforementioned “Park & Ride” facilities.
2. awareness campaign: promotion of a new culture in favour of the low-carbon economy, aimed to break people’s distrust of electric mobility.

In light of the above, 2 Actions were specifically identified and developed by Anci Lazio and Eur SpA, which are the two Italian partners of EV Energy project:

1. improved Park&Ride Schemes (Interchange Parking) to develop and improve multi-modal transport interchange nodes (ROP ERDF Objective 4) with a specific focus on the e-infrastructures and renewable energy;
2. ESCO model to mobilize private-sector. ESCOs can be an important institutional mechanism for the delivery of Energy Efficiency investments.

Such 2 Actions will be integrated into the addressed regional policy instrument of the Lazio Region Administration.

In fact, along the learning process, Anci Lazio together to Eur SpA identified two good practices, one from Flevoland, Netherlands, and the other one from Kaunas, Lithuania. It is about the Power Parking project at Lelystad Airport in the Dutch region of Flevoland. It is a pilot project in which large carparks become renewable energy plants, connected with a smart grid to EV chargers and the adjacent buildings.

Furthermore, the smart management model of the charging systems has been considered, optimizing the top-ups to reduce the peaks and maximize the use of renewable energies

On the other side, the ESCO model (Energy Service Company) from Kaunas, Lithuania, has to be integrated, as a new instrument which supports the long-term use of improved energy management. Moreover, this model would facilitate the involvement of the private sector in the implementation of innovative solutions (including renewable energy production plants), through project financing solutions, increasing the potential of achievable investments.

On the basis of what described above, the models of the Dutch Power Parking and the Lithuanian ESCO should be “combined” in the P + R (commuter parking areas) of Lazio region, in order to support electric mobility connected to on-site renewable energy production plants and integrated with smart management solutions capable of optimizing the proposed actions.

Claudio BORDI