The Italian Minister for Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Dario Franceschini, and the CEO of Enel, Francesco Starace, signed a memorandum of understanding for the promotion and development of the use of electricity for sustainable mobility in the tourism sector.
The Director General for Tourism, Francesco Palumbo, and the head of Enel X, Francesco Venturini were also present.The memorandum is a strategic lever for increasing public awareness of the benefits of electric mobility. It will also permit the creation of an institutional framework for subsequent commercial agreements with trade associations for the installation of electric charging infrastructure at tourist accomodations and the launch of projects in the main tourist cities.
“There is no sustainable tourism without sustainable mobility,” said the Minister for Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Dario Franceschini. “For this reason, agreements like today’s are key to achieving the objectives of the Strategic Plan for Tourism, which envisages the development of the sector in complete harmony with the territory, including the goal of zero emissions.”
“We firmly believe that electric mobility is a decisive factor in the sustainable development of the tourism industry,” said Enel CEO, Francesco Starace. “A charging network encompassing the main art and culture attractions and tourist accommodations will boost the development of the sector in Italy, improving the offering’s quality with a significant reduction in noise and air pollution, and will strengthen the competitiveness of our country.”
Enel, through Enel X, the Group company dedicated to the development of innovative products and services, will collaborate with trade associations and tourism industry bodies to install electric charging stations at tourist accommodations using tailored commercial solutions and on research and design for replicable solutions to be extended to other areas of the Italian peninsula.
Enel will also experiment with electric mobility systems in metropolitan areas and in the main tourist cities, including arrangements in partnership with other operators in the industry.
The Directorate General for Tourism of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Tourism (MIBACT) facilitates the implementation of activities with industry associations, the various sectors of the central government and local authorities and promotes the use of electric mobility in the tourism industry through targeted initiatives in the field of sustainable tourism, working in line with the Strategic Plan for Tourism and the projects of the Tourism Implementation Plan.
Enel has launched a plan for the installation of about 7,000 electric vehicle charging stations by 2020, to reach 14,000 by 2022 throughout the country. The charging stations will be operated with the most advanced information technologies for remote control and management, responding to current and future needs for evolved and sustainable urban mobility.
With a view to accelerate the implementation of the charging station installation plan, Enel has intensified its dialogue with public institutions with the aim to promote electric mobility as a form of sustainable transport and to raise awareness of the benefits associated with environmental protection, the fight against local and acoustic pollution, economic growth, the development of Italian industry and the creation of shared value.