Italy aims to put 1 million electric cars on the road
Now that Italy got a government again, they made their first proposal and say they aim to put a million electric vehicles on the road by 2022. The plan could cost the populist coalition up to 10 billion euros but shows a lack of detail so far.
In fact, the latest proposal that is part of the contract between the Five Star Movement and the League, rather vaguely speaks of “reductions in gasoline and diesel vehicles” and also calls for “incentives to support the acquisition of electric and hybrid vehicles,” Bloomberg reports.
While the draft lacks numbers, the one million electric car target had been thrown into the public sphere by Five Star’s leader Luigi Di Maio when he was still campaigning in a Nissan Leaf. It is unclear how this goal may be reached and what sort of electrified vehicles it would entail.
While the target is ambitious – if successful it would set Italy on top of the list for EV adoption in Europe – it is uncertain whether the debt-ridden country could find the 10 billion euros needed for an extensive electric vehicle subsidy scheme. Bloomberg quotes the head of the Promotor research institute, Gian Primo Quagliano saying: “The government would be looking at incentives of about $10,000 a car, like France.” Estimates further suggests that such a programme would need to reach similar levels than those schemes in Norway, including extensive tax rebates.
Still, a government spokesperson confirmed that Italy is working toward the target but declined to comment on the cost.
At least in the Italian capital, they announced plans to ban private diesel vehicles within the historical centre as of 2024 but even when assuming that many if not all roads lead to Rome, Italy still got a long way to go. Fewer than 5,000 fully electric models are estimated to drive around the country today, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.
Yet, despite the slow uptake, the government’s ambition may send a strong signal to both the car as well as the charging infrastructure industry so that they may accelerate electric car adoption in Italy.
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