50 years later the dilemma linked to mobility is back
The generalized dream of owning a car, a fleet of vehicles that quadrupled in the 1960s, the upheaval of cities that filled up with cars, roads in historic centers that became congested and artistic squares that transformed into immense car parks. Then, in 1973, the conflict in the Middle East with the armies of Egypt and Syria surprisingly attacking Israel. And the price of oil rising from three to twelve dollars a barrel. And so on November 23, 1973 the beginning of a historical phase known as Austerity, sanctioned by Law Decree 304 of the Rumor Government with new and sudden bans and restrictions to contain energy consumption: the use of cars on Sundays is prohibited, thermostats in homes, street lighting and speed limits are reduced; cinemas, theaters and commercial activities forced to lower their shutters early and petrol pumps closed from 12pm on Saturday and throughout Sunday.
Starting from this 50th anniversary, the exhibition ‘Drive different. From Austerity to the mobility of the future‘, at the National Automobile Museum from 24 November 2023 to 7 April 2024, offers a reflection on the challenges of mobility and on the questions that need to be asked so that technological research, on the one hand, and individual habits, on the other, converge on the common goal of safeguarding the planet. A multimedia story that starts from the oil crisis of the Seventies and retraces decades of mobility policies, technological research on engines, the planning of new urban areas, innovation in public transport and futuristic inventions. Through shots, documents, films, models and installations, the exhibition questions the past and analyzes the challenges of Future Mobility, inextricably linked to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
The exhibition starts from the car as a symbol of the desire for autonomy and freedom in the 1960s: between 1962 and 1973 eleven million new cars were registered in Italy. Produced at rates never seen before in factories by one hundred thousand workers, rewarded by political, infrastructural and customary choices, the automobile is a great irresistible promise of freedom. But “the car for everyone” and its now affordable purchase has very high side effects, which today everyone knows about.
Between the Italy of the economic boom and the Italy of austerity there is the Yom Kippur War, which triggers the first oil crisis in the West. In fact, the political influence of the United States to convince the Jewish State to stop its march and accept the subsequent UN resolutions leads OPEC, the association of producing countries, to quadruple the price of oil and Western countries begin to adopt energy rationing measures. In Italy the Rumor Government launches Legislative Decree 304: for the first time since the war, petrol pumps are closed on weekends, cities reduce lighting by 40%, public offices close early at 5.30pm, shops are forced to lower their shutters at 7pm, nightclubs are ordered to close at 11pm and the use of cars is prohibited on Sundays.
The exhibition continues with photographs of the time, newspaper pages and television reports that testify to the reaction of Italians to the Austerity measures: pervaded by a certain optimism and trusting in the short duration of the rules, they try to transform the restrictions into a diversion. On weekends they stay at home or travel on foot, by bicycle, by tram or bus; they dust off their skates and scooters. Even horses and carriages reappear in the cities, to general amazement. Then in April, with the radiators being turned off, the traffic ban becomes every other license plate. In the meantime, the price of petrol doubles going from 138 to 315 lire/litre and in 1977 the Super costs 500 lire/litre, around 2 euros, considering the necessary proportions. Like today.
Then the technological solutions, the experimental inventions and the mobility policies that emerged from the Austerity years: the unfortunate adventure of the Wankel rotary engine, the “Kar-a-sutra” concept car (an irreverent vehicle exhibited at the MoMA in New York in 1972, which anticipated, in its own way, the self-driving car ), the first modern metro in Milan, the high-speed railway; the critical issues of air and naval traffic, the cycle paths in the city.
Between lessons learned and opportunities missed, the exhibition journey takes us to the present day. Other wars threaten energy reserves and the political and economic stability of the entire planet. And while this happens, the Earth’s environmental balance is also undermined: July 7, 2023 the UN has declared that the temperature rise is now “out of control”. The terms of the problem make a leap in scale: no longer a contingent crisis, in a country or a hemisphere. The whole world, with its inequalities, is moving from Austerity to the objectives of sustainability. Transport, which plays a significant role in the general disruption, is called upon to provide the most urgent responses. The car, in particular, makes epochal choices. The direction of industrial production is guided by the ecological transition which brings new technologies to the automotive world such as electric vehicles, stations for sharing mobility, battery charging stations, e-fuel and bio-fuel, hydrogen engines.
Where is the future of the car going, then?? The last part of the exhibition, which frames the present and tries to outline future scenarios, intends to reflect precisely on this question, with the help of experts and researchers, from the Energy Department of the Polytechnic University of Turin to the Senseable City Lab of the MIT-Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The hope is that the freedom that the car gave us in the past can still be protected. Adapted, intelligently, to changing needs, situations and places.
Benedetto Camerana (President of the National Automobile Museum): “In recent years the automotive world is going through a phase of industrial and cultural uncertainty originating from important external factors. Global warming is the condition we all have to deal with: the ecological transition is the primary industrial challenge of our time. The redefinition of energy sources is the key to the future for all humanity and the automotive industry is dealing with great commitment with its share of responsibility and with the growing hostility directed at it by a part of opinion public, as opposed to the values of individual freedom that have always been recognized. In this scenario, the automotive industry, political directives and consumers have many choices to make before them to direct the future of mobility. ‘Drive Different’ is an invitation to change the way of thinking: the exhibition presents an absolutely topical interpretation with cultural independence, free from ideologies and industrial and political interests”.
John Elkann (President of Stellantis): “Retracing the history of the car over the last fifty years is truly fascinating and this exhibition tells it well, starting with the iconic vehicles that have made the history of our industry and which push us towards the future. Stellantis is at the center of this path with the ambition of innovating the mobility of tomorrow in its products and services. ‘Drive Different’ is an initiative of high cultural and informative value by MAUTO, which highlights how the presence of our Italian brands is strong and projected towards the future”.
Carlos Tavares (CEO Stellantis): “In our role as the world’s leading vehicle manufacturer, with strong Italian roots, and as a provider of innovative mobility solutions, we are proud to participate in this exhibition. And we do this by playing a key role, with many products and technologies displayed in the rooms that illustrate Stellantis’ contribution to providing mobility for all. Stellantis’ presence at ‘Drive Different’ tells the story of the evolution towards the energy transition and sustainable mobility, while respecting the environment, and tells of our work to guarantee future generations the freedom to move, which could be at risk if permanent innovation and stakeholder involvement are not given priority.”
Angelo Sticchi Damiani (ACI President): “The history of the car, especially Italian, is before the eyes and in the hearts of everyone and ACI makes available the over one hundred year old know-how that distinguishes it to the benefit of national and local institutions to trace the lines of development of the mobility, already anticipating its future today. We are grateful and satisfied with this exhibition, which takes us into the last 50 years of mobility. ACI has been accompanying motorists for over a century and – naturally – was at their side even when the oil shock forced austerity, with severe limitations on free movement. Mobility is now facing a new and delicate season, where the right to move necessarily intersects with maximum environmental, social, economic and safety sustainability on the roads. There are many challenges, the first is to understand without prejudices and ideologies what will be the right energy mix that will move the vehicles of tomorrow, to satisfy global mobility in a sustainable way. The exhibition therefore offers us ideas and reflections, helping to spread a more aware and responsible culture of future mobility among citizens, because only with everyone’s collaboration will we be able to achieve it.”
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