ROME – Our country is still dependent on cars, which alone account for 80% of total traffic. Italy is the second in Europe for motorization rate, with approximately 663 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants (after Luxembourg with 681 vehicles). The transport sector is the only one to have increased CO2 emissions since 1990 (+ 24%). Instead, the average emissions are better, which decreased by 26% over the same period. Today, more than ever, consumers are oriented towards green choices: 46% of them are ready to switch to more sustainable vehicles.
This is what emerges from the second edition of the OCTO Connected Forum, in which the second volume of the Connected Mobility 2025 report was presented, a joint work of over 40 mobility stakeholders, ready to focus on connected technologies not only to promote active safety and passive but also to understand human “error factors”, prevent and correct them quickly. “A combination is essential, an ecosystem for the cooperation and growth of companies and the country – declares Nicola Veratelli CEO, OCTO. To achieve this goal, seven working groups were set up in 2022 with the aim of starting collaborations for the development of pilot projects in four strategic areas: Smart City, Mobility-as-a-Service, fleet management and ecosystems and data-spaces “.
In 2021, road accidents in our country amounted to 151,875: or 416 accidents per day, with a number of victims equal to 2,875: the incidence of deaths per million inhabitants was higher than that of European peers and the European average: 48 deaths per million inhabitants. There were 45 in France; 32 in Spain; 31 in Germany; 24 in the UK. For Italy, therefore, the figure is still too high, especially if we consider that every day 8 people die from a road accident, the leading cause of death for young people, and a weight of 2% on Italian GDP.
The Connected Mobility 2025 report has put in black and white the value of technology: so far it has made it possible to reduce the number of accidents by 35%, thanks to digital coaching and driver assistance systems.
First tests for the community
The utility of these systems is well known to Mercedes, which in addition to having equipped its cars with the latest generation systems, today exploits all the expertise of car sharing – already developed since 2013 – committing to a more advanced and based approach to cities. on technology exchanges and sharing of projects at the service of the urban community. A project at the Rome Biocampus to improve safety in urban traffic is nearing the start. Objective? optimizing mobility flows with the aim of making them more efficient, for a constantly evolving urban environment. After all, the data available from the car world are an indispensable element for designing cities and there are technological solutions, based on Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, which make it possible to optimize travel times on road sections by more than 15%. predict accidents.
“From Customer Centricity ‘to’ Citizen Centricity” – say from the Stuttgart house -. Through this new mindset, the new strategies of Mercedes’ Urban Mobility Solutions division were developed. “We aim to develop a world-leading portfolio of ‘data driven’ mobility solutions with mobility systems focused on the real needs of cities, which place people at the center: a concept that integrates data analysis and products, including all forms of mobility: from e-scooters to Vans, passing through solutions that also involve innovative partners, owned by the Mercedes-Benz Group ”.
Thanks to the funds of the PNRR, Italy, moreover, today Italy is in an extremely favorable position to accelerate a growth process of Smart Mobility with objectives of zero traffic, zero accidents and zero pollution in urban areas and beyond.
The world of rental: centralizes the needs of the motorist
Even from the rental world they are ready to focus on the driver. Leasys Rent will soon be able to create new drive & buy logics, mixed with the kilometer subscription thanks to platforms that will merge short and long term car sharing. “We will launch a new brand – anticipates Paolo Manfreddi CEO Leasys Rent -: the goal will be to go from 7 to 10 markets and from 50 to 200,000 cars on the road”. Appointment at the Paris Motor Show on 17 October.
Smarter maintenance: satisfying and retaining the customer
For those who own the car and have to take care of maintenance, Nissan has taken care of it. The promise here is to reduce time and money by resorting to innovative and avant-garde solutions, aware that economic and social development is also based on a new connected, safe and sustainable mobility model. In fact, the Nissan customer can now request the necessary service from the dealer via the App – Nissan Promised Mobility – and the device can quickly and easily assign a replacement car to which the driver can access it independently, without the passage of the key. An electrified car, of course.
“We are the only ones on the market to offer an integrated service, with free courtesy car, in assistance. even outside the warranty period – comments Marco Toro, CEO of Nissan Italy -. It is also valid if you own a used car and it is at no cost to both the customer and the dealership ”.
For both collection and return of the courtesy car, the customer, in full autonomy, unlocks and locks the doors with his smartphone. The engine starts with the OCTO Smart Key located on board. A system also designed to provide numerous advantages to dealers who manage and monitor the cars from start to finish, with the platform that records digital practices and history, in addition to the photographic status of the cars, which are framed directly by the user, a once returned
“A way to introduce models such as the Nissan Leaf, Qashqai and Juke and make the driver satisfied with the maintenance process, which at this point becomes increasingly controlled and efficient – continues the president of Nissan Italy -. We aim to intensify the loyalty process and make our products known (Italians in general, after 12 years of ownership, only buy back the same brand in 30% of cases ed.). If today 43% of the market is made up of electrified cars, we are already 45% today and we plan to reach 75% for next year “.