Electric mobility and infrastructure: a knot that has been discussed for decades now, all the more so in recent months marked not only by the coronavirus pandemic but also by a growing awareness of the climate crisis. And the spread of green, eco-sustainable vehicles — along with the corresponding shift in mindset at both individual and societal level — is one of the key steps in the fight against emissions and global warming. Italy's Environment Minister, Sergio Costa, is well aware of this, and it was precisely the assets available to incentivise electric mobility that he discussed during the donation ceremony for a new batch of 63 hybrid (Subaru) and electric (Nissan) cars assigned to the Carabinieri Forestry Corps for its National Park and Biodiversity units, allocated following the memorandum of understanding and implementing protocol between the ministry and the corps. This is a first tranche of 156 vehicles in total.

In the pine forest of Castel Fusano, just a short distance from the capital, the minister and general of the corps said he was very pleased with the continuing collaboration with the Carabinieri and with the green turn the corps has taken. He also made no secret of the fact that it is now the task of local authorities — also eased from a bureaucratic standpoint — to make the most of what has been done to date to encourage electric mobility, both in terms of private transport and local public transport, including school buses. The latter is a particularly relevant topic in light of the ongoing debate about dedicated student transport and the need to expand it.

Minister Costa, where do we need to start in order to roll out electric mobility on a large scale?
Electric mobility is our reference point; then, in the longer term, we also envision hydrogen-powered mobility, though that is still an emerging technology. Infrastructure is obviously the foundation: if I want to encourage widespread electric mobility, I also need to deploy charging points across the territory, along with an adequate charging system.

What steps has the government taken to facilitate the transition?
In the Semplificazioni law — a measure that has already been passed and is in force — we significantly simplified the installation of electric charging points: previously, the permits required ranged from eighteen to more than twenty depending on the area; now you need as few as two authorisations to install them. The time has come, then, to get them installed.

So what do municipalities need to do to seize this moment and push forward on electric mobility?
Municipalities can include in their urban plans the possibility of installing charging points and making them available to the public — and this is one way to encourage private mobility. Then there is the question of low-impact local public transport, which we will include in the Recovery Fund. I am thinking, for example, of rail transport, which has zero or very low impact compared with road transport. And then there are the green school buses — already funded and with money already disbursed: municipalities can take advantage of the resource set out in the Clima law of autumn 2019 to purchase electric school buses and put them on the road.

What are the main difficulties a municipality can face when rethinking mobility?
Municipalities are democracy at zero kilometres, and not all of them have technical offices dedicated to this aspect. We provide a framework for engagement, resources, and also the know-how in cases of difficulty, because we want to stand alongside every municipality. That is why we have created an in-house company of the Ministry of the Environment specialising in environmental engineering — already enshrined in state legislation — which provides advice and support completely free of charge to municipalities that request it and need to be assisted.