Good news for electric car drivers. Finally, high-power charging stations will be able to arrive on Italian motorways, whose installation has so far been hampered by the absence of the rules to define the calls for tenders to which motorway concessionaires are required for the assignment of electric vehicle charging services. In fact, in recent days the Transport Regulation Authority (Art) has finally set the rules of the game, determining the minimum requirements for the sub-concession of Fast recharging points to motorway service areas.
Electric car, Italy back: “Another 320 thousand columns are needed to reach the top in Europe”
The aim is to guarantee an experience comparable to traditional power supplies to those who drive an electric car and in fact in the new charging stations there must be at least two CPOs (charging point operators) in perspective. Even if, during the first implementation, it will be sufficient to guarantee the presence of one CPO for the area concerned, “making the further assignments within five years”. The new electric charging stations will be located in such a way as to guarantee “the prompt use of commercial and restaurant activities, where present”, and must be equipped with systems “that allow immediate payment, without prior registration and without having to stipulate contracts”.
Do you have an electric car? Here’s where powerful to go on vacation
by Matteo Morichini
The Art specifies that the number of recharging points must be “ adequate to the level of traffic circulating on the carriageway served ” and the service must be guaranteed 7 days a week and 24 hours a day, with customer assistance at least remotely and possibility of emergency intervention. Furthermore, each column must be able to distribute “at least 100kW” and in any case the power must in any case be “adequate for the foreseeable development of the vehicle charging capacities over the time horizon of the assignment”. Time horizon that will be between 5 and 12 years. The Authority underlines that “the tender schemes of motorway concessionaires must guarantee the pursuit of the public interest related to the enhancement of the motorway infrastructure, encourage competition, respect the principles of transparency, fairness, non-discrimination, reasonableness and proportionality, contain costs for users, businesses and consumers “.
Charging the electric car on the highway? Almost impossible. Here because
by Federico Pesce
The measures of the Transport Regulatory Authority also provide for the adoption by concessionaires of various quality indicators, including accessibility and assistance for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) and in general the level of satisfaction of users regarding the functioning of the charging points. In addition, in the tender documentation and in the contracts, the motorway concessionaire must provide for “the inclusion of provisions aimed at ensuring the publication by the CPO of the top-up price offered directly to users, in the areas concerned, with adequate visibility”, as well as ” on the internet in real time in open data format. “In short, now the rules of the game are there, now the challenge will be to call tenders, assign concessions and start the procedures for national and local authorizations as quickly as possible.