E-mobility: sustainability goes beyond cars

As at 30 June 2023, electric cars circulating in Italy were close to 200,000 units. In particular, there were almost 33 thousand full electric registrations in the first six months of this year, with an increase of 32% compared to the same period in 2022. Good news, therefore, but if we add other data from the Motus-E observatory, the optimism shrinks.

Full electric cars in Italy are not even 4% of the total fleet in circulation, against a percentage of 27% in the Netherlands and an absolute value of full electric registrations for Germany, the leader in Europe, of almost 170 thousand units. The ratio between the vehicle fleet and full electric in Italy is the lowest in Europe.

The reasons for such negative results are different. In many quarters the support of the Institutions is not considered sufficient, in relation to the incentive mechanisms (for example, how come after the announcements of the allocations for the incentives for private and condominium infrastructures or the contributions in favor of companies, businesses and professionals for the installation of charging stations, to date no trace of the implementing decrees to be able to benefit from them?), which also completely involve companies, and fiscal policy. On other constraints, such as the quality and duration of the batteries and the scarcity of recharging points, the leading companies in E-mobility are doing their best.

First station? The reloading one

In one year, from March 2022 to March 2023, the charging points in our country grew by almost 50%, going from almost 30,000 to more than 40,000. And infrastructure and places where multiple charging infrastructures coexist are also following a similar growth trend.

The country system is therefore on the run, but the allocation of approximately 740 million euros envisaged within the PNRR for the creation of public recharging within existing filling stations bodes well. To this initiative are added other “collateral” ones such as the construction of photovoltaic parks in the Italian motorway areas.

ABB is strongly committed to the E-mobility sector with the creation of electric charging stations of cars, electric trucks, but not only. Work is also being done on the feeding and recharging systems of the ferries and on the energy efficiency of the railway network. “From the production of the EU’s first 50kW fast charging station in 2010 to the launch of Terra 360, which is capable of providing 100km of range in less than three minutes – said Antonio De Bellis (E-mobility Lead Manager) – the company is helping to develop the innovations necessary to create a future of emission-free mobility, spreading their adoption around the world, thanks to its ability to industrialize innovation”.

The first, strong, concrete action of ABB E-mobility in Italy it concerns the construction of its production plant for direct current charging stations inaugurated in 2022 in San Giovanni Valdarno, in the province of Arezzo. Thanks to this factory, ABB serves the world market, with cutting-edge products that already today also give energy and recharge to the cars of the ABB FormulaE championship. Thanks to its 7 production lines, and cutting-edge production technologies, the site realizes a charging station every 20 minutes. To date ABB has delivered more than one million charging stations for electric vehicles in more than 85 markets and, thanks to the San Giovanni Valdarno plant, has doubled its production capacity of DC fast charging stations in the last two years.

Concrete examples of ABB E-mobility

The enormous contribution of ABB’s E-mobility division to the new electric mobility is real. For example, ABB’s recharging systems are installed in San Donato (MI) in the ATM (Milanese Transport Company) electric bus depot. The public service manager’s idea is to replace all diesel buses with electric ones and install the related recharging infrastructure by 2030. Once the conversion is complete, ATM will reduce its diesel consumption by 30 million liters per year. year and CO2 emissions of 75 thousand tons per year.

ABB has provided an end-to-end charging infrastructure consisting of 15 Terra 124 stations that rapidly charge two vehicles simultaneously, or just one to full capacity overnight. With a guaranteed range of up to 180 km under normal conditions, the e-buses remain in service all day without the need for intermediate recharging.

Then there is the commitment to professional mobility systems such as electric trucks. As part of the EU research program “Horizon Europe”, the NextETRUCK project, which sees ABB E-mobility as protagonist as coordinator of the recharging management area, aims to support and encourage electric mobility among trucks , evidently developing a network of fast charging areas specifically for these vehicles.

And what about ships and trains? Even in these contexts we are moving by leaps and bounds. ABB is collaborating in the green transition of the yachting industry by providing shore-to-ship power systems that enable fast automated charging of electric ferries, converting traditional motor ships and ferries to hybrid propulsion, and offering solutions that connect moored vessels to shore power for reduce port emissions.

For the electrification of the railway system, however, ABB works on components for train traction systems and energy storage solutions and modernization services (retrofit) for all European railways. The company is working with Stadler Valencia to equip more than 300 trains and locomotives with energy-efficient traction technologies, while in Lithuania, ABB will supply 25 kV switchgear and equipment, six 110/25 kV traction substations, eight self-transformation and three sectioning stations to achieve electrification equal to 39% of the total by 2030.

Finally, demonstrating ABB E-mobility’s all-round commitment, we cannot fail to mention the now multi-year agreement with the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship which, for 2023, also sees ABB as the official supplier of charging stations .