The scene is the usual one: a charging station for electric cars is being assembled. The road signs are created, complete with a green logo, and then after a while everything is devastated to connect the charging point to the electricity grid. It seems incredible but in Italy – a unique case in Europe – this almost always happens. Possible? We went to ask Fabio Pressi, CEO and Chairman of A2A E-mobility, also because the column you see in these photos is not his: this way we avoid having the entire first part of the interview made up of justifications and excuses.
“Yes, possible. And unfortunately the situation is different from city to city.”
That is, does each municipality do as it pleases?
“Yes, a somewhat simplistic vision but this is the reality because installation times vary greatly based on the different regulations”.
These photos you see refer to Rome, Piazza Vescovio to be precise. So a common thing?
“I’ll just tell you that the capital is the worst in terms of regulations. Something like this couldn’t happen in Milan.”
But how many columns are still to be activated? Nobody knows. We’re at the point that Motus-E, the main industry association, is doing a study to understand this. Here too, does it seem possible?
“Unfortunately yes because the completely different times for connecting to the network and the different communication regulations make it difficult to understand the situation”.
But let’s talk about a basic fact.
“Yes true. The point is that the average connection times to the network all depend on when the charging station manager receives the authorization to proceed. A complicated superposition of decisions.”
So?
“Too much time passes from when the construction site opens to when the column is actually connected to the network. This explains why charging infrastructure is far behind in some municipalities. In summary I could say that assembling the columns is easy, then obtaining the authorizations is difficult.”
And we find cities full of useless totems. What do you think is the problem?
“The important thing is planning. Often it is decided to place the columns in places that are inconvenient for connection. In some cases it would be enough to move it 10 meters and everything would change.”
But they are already cemented and assembled.
“Exact”.
Sorry but who decides where to put them?
“It depends on the municipalities. We carry out studies and analyzes on positioning. And when we make a proposal the city council approves it immediately. However, unfortunately, in some cases a place is chosen for a marketing reason. As with all things, you need to be careful. And it is no coincidence, let me say, that Italy is the only European country where electricity is growing at a single digit, in other countries at two. However, it is also a cultural question, not just a technical one.”
If you allow me, it’s also a little your fault. Training should be the responsibility of those who work especially on infrastructure and those who supply energy. Or not?
“Yes, of course, but we work a lot in this field. We do a lot of communication to talk about the evolution of mobility. And we push the concept of home charging, which is very important. We are very committed to the green transition and we are not taking a step back on this. We then work on the companies. And there is enormous work to be done there too. Because they are the ones who can transform their fleets and large organizations into testimonials of the green revolution.”
But let’s go back to the abandoned columns. Is there a way to understand if whoever installed them made a mistake?
“Yes, and it is the saturation data, that is, how long the columns are occupied in charging operations. And, I must say – with pride – that of all the operators we have the most saturated network. In any case, it hurts everyone to see photos like these. Having unconnected charging stations is a defeat for everyone.”
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