The Italian capital Rome is taking action to expand and enhance its electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Last year, Rome launched its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP), which aimed to promote accessibility for all and increase quality of life, as well as supporting public health and environmental sustainability. Encouraging and facilitating the uptake of EVs for private vehicles and freight was a central tenet of the city’s SUMP, for which improved charging facilities are required.
In order to achieve this, the Italian capital has partnered with Siemens Smart Infrastructure to deliver charging infrastructure and cloud-based software for charger management to the Italian start-up ‘On’. Through this partnership a new EV sharing service will be developed by On. Work is already underway, with the first 23 charging stations already installed and more to follow.
The stations support a range of other electric modes of transport, with power outlets also available for e-bikes, electric scooters and other new small e-vehicles. The new charging infrastructure will deliver the technological connectivity required to create smart, integrated mobility options. The charging stations are connected to an E-Car Operating Centre (E-Car OC), Siemens’ cloud-based charging infrastructure software. This also provides effective channels for data management with data utilised to streamline billing and other related processes.
The data collected is also useful for users. They are made available on On's app to enable users to identify the location of Siemens’ charging points, their availability and operational status in real-time. Drivers can initiate the charging process and access related payment services on the smartphone app, as well as on web-based software.
As cities across Europe seek to enhance their EV charging facilities, this partnership may provide useful examples for others.
This article first appeared on SmartCitiesWorld.net on 7 April 2021.
Original article published by SmartCitiesWorld news team on 7 April 2021
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