Sustainable mobility, an acceleration in electricity and green fuels is needed in Italy

The Pniec and the EU have set challenging targets in terms of mobility.Italy is late but a turning point would bring environmental and employment advantages.

Sustainable mobility represents a great opportunity for Italy from the point of view environmental and employment.But a decisive acceleration is needed on electricity, biomethane, hydrogen and liquid biofuels, without which it will be difficult to achieve the objectives of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (Pniec), in addition to the European targets that have imposed a stop to the registration of cars with combustion engines starting from 2035.The ideas emerge from the fifth edition of the Optimal Sustainable Mobility Mix, the Observatory of Act on it dedicated to studying the phenomenon of the energy transition in transport and sustainable mobility models.

The impacts of electric and biomethane on light and heavy transport

To date, combustion vehicles have represented 95 percent of the Italian market and 99 percent of circulating park in our country.In the space of a few years, to achieve the objectives of the Pniec theelectric and the biomethane they will have to sustain very significant growth, with an increase in consumption of 382 percent and 807 percent respectively.The electric will be used mainly on light transport (cars and vans) and on city ​​buses, causing road consumption to soar by 7 thousand percent compared to 2021 levels.

The biomethane will instead be used to fuel i heavy transport (of both people and goods), the only ones for which the introduction of green hydrogen technology is also planned.In this transition phase, the companies will also play an important role liquid biofuels, biodiesel above all, whose consumption will have to increase by 100 percent, divided transversally between all vehicle categories.Thanks to this green turning point, by 2030 it will be possible to reduce waste by 19 million tonnes per year CO2 emissions related to mobility.

With sustainable mobility, more investments and jobs

At the same time, profound changes are expected in the production of the automotive sector:4.4 million vehicles will have to be placed on the market pure electric and 2.2 million plug-in hybrids for the light transport sector, in addition to 8,500 electric buses and 21 thousand methane trucks;on the front ofhydrogen the estimates are more contained, but only apparently:a total of 15 thousand new trucks and 6 thousand new buses will be needed, but we must consider that the current vehicles in circulation there are only a few dozen.“Move towards the exclusive use of renewable fuels – he explains Michele Perotti, director of the Agici Observatory – represents a priority that can no longer be postponed for Italy, which will have to face a profound transformation:Accepting the challenge immediately, accompanying it with targeted support, will allow us to seize the development opportunities that will arise from it.Electrification and green fuels are essential for the future of transport and must be supported not only to reduce CO2 emissions, but also to improve the liveability of cities and give a new boost to the country's competitiveness".

Sustainable mobility will in fact have impacts on all sectors connected to the automotive world.Starting from battery production, which will make it necessary to develop a safe and economically advantageous supply chain through the creation of the so-called gigafactory;This is also a great opportunity for national energy groups which, by investing, will be able to give a strong boost to the economy and employment.For the automotive components supply chain, the great challenge is one reconversion that avoids job losses:according to Agici estimates, in 2030 the sector will be able to benefit from a 6 percent increase in employment compared to 2020.