Market Break-Down by Type of Fuel
Car fuel use in the Italian market:
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In particular:
LPG vehicle sales were 93,464, i.e. 6.8% of the total, in 2020 (135,495, i.e. 7.1%, in 2019). In December 2020 their share of the market shrank to 6%.
Methane vehicle sales were 31,615 i.e. 2.3% of the total, in 2020 (38,622, i.e. 2%, in 2019). In December 2020 their share of the market increased to 2.5%.
Electric vehicle sales were 32,485, i.e. 2.4% of the total, in 2020 (10,668, i.e. 0.6%, in 2019). In December 2020 their share of the market increased to 2.5%. Tesla sales in Italy were 3,804 units in 2020, i.e. 0.28% of the market, up from 2,453 units, i.e. 0.13%, in 2019). In short, Tesla sales increased by 55% in one year. Besides 20 Tesla Superchargers available in Italy, drivers can charge their vehicles at hundreds of so-called ‘destination charging’ locations at shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, etc.
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Italy
Rechargeable vehicles are obviously still a very small share of the total market (about 60,000 units in 2020).
Incentives to buy electrified vehicles are not enough to support this change in mobility: a suitable charging infrastructure is needed to allow people to charge their vehicles quickly and safely. Recent data (August 2020) estimates that there are about 16,000 public and private, but publicly accessible, charging stations in Italy - there are private charging stations that can be accessed also by public users – for example inside shopping malls. Their distribution is uneven throughout the different areas of the country. Public and private but publicly accessible charging stations are
charging stations are mostly AC (91%); only 9% of them are DC. This is probably because AC charging, while slower, is by far cheaper than DC charging.
Charging stations are mostly located in cities (60-70%), installed along streets or in public parking lots. The others are located at commercial locations such as hotels, restaurants, shopping areas, car dealerships, etc., while 5% of them are in non-urban areas. There are still few ultra-fast charging stations. Private charging stations are mostly residential (about 70%), while the other 30% are in companies’ private areas. There are fiscal incentives specifically targeted to residential vehicle charging, https://www.energystrategy.it/assets/files/SMR_20_webdef29_10.pdf .
Major initiatives exist at the local level. For example, the Milan municipality is mandating that all fuel service stations operating in its metro area have at least one charging station for electric vehicles beginning in 2023, https://www.ansa.it/canale_motori/notizie/eco_mobilita/2020/11/20/milano-dal-2023-ricarica-elettrica-in-tutti-i-distributori_42f997d4-551d-4426-ab65-bb92eae73459.html
The development of electrified models is resulting in changes in the investments of component manufacturers. A recent survey by Anfia, the Italian Association of the Automotive Industry (which has 350 associates), discovered that almost 30% of component manufacturers had electric and/or hybrid vehicles as their main production focus, https://www.ansa.it/canale_motori/notizie/industria/2020/11/24/auto-295-imprese-componentistica-investe-nellelettrico_67ea3949-5854-4c7d-8e95-342f00826b18.html .