More can and must be done, but the situation is rosier than people think: there are over 8,200 charging points for electric cars in Italy, a figure that takes into account both private and public ones. Providing a precise number is difficult — indeed impossible — because the network is continuously expanding. Not only that: this expansion is "intelligent", insofar as it is focused on "fast" charging points (i.e. those with a power output above 22 kW): +52 per cent between 2017 and 2018, compared with +18 per cent for standard ones. That said, it is also true that at present only 20 per cent of the charging infrastructure is of the fast type; moreover, the distribution of electric car charging points is heavily polarised. Below, we examine all these points in detail.

How much does charging cost

First of all, however, an aspect that concerns everyone: the financial one. As stated in the Smart Mobility Report 2019 (a study produced by the School of Management at the Politecnico di Milano), the cost of charging in Italy ranges between €0.40 and €0.50 per kWh. The variability is linked to the "non-energy costs" component, that is, the part influenced by charging power and the operator's margin (how much profit they want to make).

And how much does it cost to charge the Opel Corsa-e

Applying the figures above to the Opel Corsa-e, charging 80 per cent of its battery pack costs between €16 and €20 and yields (based on the WLTP cycle) approximately 260 km; 330 km in total. For an even more realistic calculation, one must bear in mind that it never happens — or at least it shouldn't — that the battery is taken down to zero. This means that, for example, going from 20 to 80 per cent of maximum capacity costs between €12 and €15. The cost per kilometre, meanwhile, is 6.2 euro cents. What about charging time? Taking 80 per cent of maximum capacity as the reference point, starting from 20 per cent, a fast charge at 100 kW takes just 30 minutes. On this point, however, it is worth exploring the Corsa-e's charging options in greater detail.

Topping up from 1.8 to 100 kW

For the electric car to be a genuinely accessible choice for everyone, it is essential that charging it be as easy as filling up with diesel or petrol. In this respect, the Opel Corsa-e leaves nothing to chance: all versions come equipped with everything needed to charge it from a standard domestic socket using a "mode 2" cable at 1.8 kW, right up to a power output of 100 kW, which allows you to "gain" 100 km of range in just 12 minutes. In between, there is a wide range of options. There is, for example, a "mode 3" cable up to 6 metres long (for charging even when it is not possible to park the car next to the charging point), which adds 100 km of range in 90 minutes. Then there is the universal cable, which combines "mode 2", "mode 3" and the wallbox standard. Thanks to dedicated adapters, this device allows the Opel Corsa-e to be charged from virtually all domestic sockets and public charging points currently in existence.

Where are the electric car charging points? The sat-nav tells you

Anyone who has never "driven electric" might have a perfectly reasonable concern: how do you know where the charging points are? The answer is provided by Free2Move, the mobility service from Groupe PSA. Among other things, it includes a fully featured trip planner that, based on the vehicle's position and state of charge, the set destination and the charging stations along the route, calculates the ideal journey. In this way, range anxiety is eliminated entirely. Not bad, is it?

Smart Mobility Report 2019

Returning to more general points, let us start with an analysis of the public infrastructure. The Smart Mobility Report sets out another key figure in black and white: 51 per cent of charging points are concentrated in northern Italy (25 per cent in the centre, 24 per cent in the south and islands), the area that also accounts for 53 per cent of "fast" ones, compared with 31 per cent in the centre and 16 per cent in the south and islands. In more detail, the regional "ranking" by charging point presence puts Lombardy ahead of all others, the only region to exceed 1,000. It is followed by Lazio, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Sicily, all with between 500 and 1,000 charging points, while the remaining regions fall below 500.

How many electric cars are on the road?

Returning to more general themes and picking up on the second paragraph, the number of public charging points is a very important parameter in terms of promoting electric mobility, but to understand how well a territory is aligned with its residents' needs, this figure must be cross-referenced with another: the number of electric cars on the road. And here comes the (apparent, as we shall see) surprise: Trentino-Alto Adige is the region with the highest number of BEVs (pure electric vehicles) on the road, as many as 2,827, yet it has fewer than 500 public charging points. In second place is Lombardy with 2,033 BEVs on the road (but over 1,000 charging points), followed by Tuscany (1,652), Lazio (1,484), then Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Sicily and all the others, each below 1,000.

A matter of proportions

Obviously, the ratio between charging points and BEVs on the road is crucial for understanding the likelihood of finding a free "spot" should one decide to switch to an electric car. The aforementioned Trentino is the region that, according to the coefficient mentioned above, would fare worst: one charging point for every 10 BEVs. In some regions, however, the number of charging points actually exceeds that of BEVs: this is the case, for example, with Piedmont, Puglia, Liguria, Abruzzo, Umbria, Basilicata and Molise.

Beyond appearances

In reality, in the European countries with the highest rate of electric mobility, the number of BEVs is always higher than the number of charging points. This is fairly intuitive: in a "mature" system, it is inconceivable that the infrastructure should exceed, in scale, the demand it is meant to meet. Establishing what the ideal ratio between BEVs and charging points is today (also in light of the fact that there are various types and power outputs) is difficult. What is certain is that if charging points outnumber electric cars, it means not enough has been done to promote their use.