The Antitrust against Enel: dominant position on the columns
The difficulties in finding raw materials, the problems and costs for the future disposal of batteries, the risk of seeing the market shares of European car companies and all related industries eroded were not enough. The Antitrust’s ax also arrives on the electric future of the car, and in particular of the columns. It seems paradoxical considering that Italy is among the worst European states for the diffusion of charging points, but lThe Competition and Market Authority has launched an investigation into the companies of the Ene groupl active in the electric mobility sector.
For subjects who operate as Cpo Charging Point Operator – we are talking about Enel X Way Italia and Ewiva, a joint venture with the Volkswagen group dedicated to the development of higher power infrastructures -, explains a note from the Antitrust, “It seems that a dominant position could be set up in the markets for the installation and management of electric recharging columns on the national territory”.
The disputes against Enel
The Antitrust accuses Enel X Way, Enel X Way Italia and Ewiva, whose offices were already visited yesterday by the dedicated unit of the Guardia di Finanza, for a possible abuse of a dominant position “consisting in a compression of the margins of operators active in the provision of top-up services electricity to end customers (the so-called Mobility Service Providers, Msp)”.
According to the Authority’s thesis, the companies controlled by Enel appear to charge “wholesale” prices for access to their columns “insufficient to allow for minimum profitability if compared with the retail prices charged to end customers by the group company active as Msp through its Enel X Way app”. The dispute concerns both the consumer prices charged at retail and, if not more, with reference to the so-called “packages” or “flat offers” which allow a certain number of kWh to be withdrawn per month at a predetermined total figure.
“This conduct – underlines the Authority – appears suitable for excluding the MSP operators currently active from the market and for limiting the possible entry of other non-integrated operators who could be interested in this developing market, also due to the possible offer of new services in support of electric mobility of an innovative nature”.
Enel’s answer
Enel did not wait for an answer. In a note, Enel X Way and Enel X Way Italia “specify that they have always acted in full compliance with the rules. The proceeding concerns the alleged compression of the margins of competing operators in the market for recharging services for electric cars via columns positioned in places open to the public. In this regard, the companies specify that they have supported the development of electric mobility in Italy, guaranteeing sustainable costs for operators and competitive prices in the interest of end customers compatibly with a difficult market context determined by strong volatility in energy prices in the course of 2022”.
“This market dynamic has in fact conditioned the pricing policies of all operators and substantially eroded the margins of all operators on the market – adds the note -, including Enel X Way, and not just those that reported an alleged abuse of position in the Authority”.
Italy is behind on the columns
This is yet another problem concerning the transition to electric cars and which, perhaps, should advise the European authorities to slow down on the green transition path imposed at breakneck speed by Brussels. The end consumers risk paying the priceon which all the costs of a technology not yet widespread in such a capillary way as to allow its exclusive use by 2035 will be discharged.
Furthermore, Italy is still behind on the columns. According to the latest findings, in Italy there are currently 36,772 charging points and 19,334 infrastructures (stations or columns) in 14,048 public points. Compared to the same period of 2021, the increase was 10,748 charging points, equal to +41% and even +245% compared to September 2019. All for the 170,000 BEV vehicles in circulation. Percentages that would therefore shape a country convincedly launched towards an electric future, first in terms of dynamism in the EU.
In reality, Italy lags behind Europe. Not only for the total number, but also for location. The columns installed are almost all in the northern regions plus Lazio and the vast majority of these are located in the large cities. Basically, if you move under Rome, filling up becomes a lottery. Our country has less than half the recharging points of France and Germany, but having fewer electric cars on the road than these two countries, it can paradoxically boast a better car/column ratio: 9.7 (i.e. for every 9.7 cars c ‘is a small column) against 13 in France and 22 in Germany. But the transition, if it wants to be imposed on everyone, should guarantee access to the network in every point of the European territory. And it shouldn’t be reserved for the wealthier ones.