The Government of Italy is making several attempts to replace convectional public transport modes with energy-efficient buses. Major cities like Turin, Cagliari, and Milan are making rapid changes in their public transport fleet to increase the number of electric buses and related charging stations. The government submitted a proposal for the integrated national plan for energy and climate to the European Union (EU), in December 2018. This proposal lays emphasis on the vital role of transit agencies in drafting strategies for cleaner transport in the country.
Moreover, advantages offered by opportunity charging system-based electric buses over depot charging system-based buses will amplify the incorporation of new energy buses in public transport fleet. The depot charging buses include bigger size battery as they need overnight charging. Heavy and big batteries increase overall weight and price of such buses. Owing to these disadvantages, Italy is focusing on opportunity charging system-based buses, thereby, escalating the Italian electric bus charging station market at 20.3% CAGR during 2019–2025, to reach $44.8 million by 2025 from $12.3 million in 2018.
According to P&S Intelligence, public-owned utilities and private companies of Italy are recently focusing on accommodating fast-charging infrastructure in the country. Installation of fast-charging stations will enable electric buses to offer uninterrupted service, without carrying a large size battery. Due to the expansion of fast-charging infrastructure, several bus manufacturers are incorporating fast-charging technology in their electric bus models. Fast charging ensures optimum availability, as the charging takes only two to five minutes to charge buses, which can occur while passengers board or disembark the buses.
Furthermore, the rapid shift toward fast-charging technology has led to the largescale introduction of direct current (DC) fast charging buses in Italy. These electric buses offer fast charging in less time and at an optimum cost. Besides, the country is also witnessing a widescale installation of off-board chargers as these enable bus manufacturers to decrease the weight of the buses and allow rapid charging. Moreover, vehicle-to-grid reactive power capability of such chargers will boost their installation in the foreseeable future in Italy.
In recent years, key players in the Italian electric bus charging station market have started engaging in numerous orders and contracts to deploy electric buses and associated charging stations in several cities. For example, Solaris Bus & Coach S.A., in August 2019, got an order to supply zero-emission buses in Italy. The order for 30 Solaris Urbino electric buses and related charging infrastructure were placed by Azienda del Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano (Actv S.p.A.), a transport operator, in Venice. The contract encompassed a mobile plug-in charger, six fixed plug-in battery chargers, and nine fast pantograph battery chargers.
In the same vein, market players such as BYD Co. Ltd., JEMA Energy S.A., Bombardier Inc., Ekoenergetyka-Polska Sp. z o.o., Schunk Carbon Technology, ABB Ltd., Powerdale NV, Heliox B.V., and Siemens AG have also taken several orders and contracts to provide electric buses and strengthen charging infrastructure in the country. With the presence of these few key players, the market is consolidated and it is expected to eventually expand in the coming years.
With the increasing focus of the Italian government on substituting diesel buses with electric buses, the country is set to witness a significant rise in the number of electric bus charging stations in the coming years.
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