The role of incentivizing policies in the transition to a renewable energy fueled e-mobility system

The research “Fuelling Italy’s Future: How the transition to low-carbon mobility strengthens the economy” has underlined the advantages that electric mobility can bring in terms of additional jobs, GDP increase and public health.  

Starting from the results of this study, an additional analysis has been carried out by Bocconi’s GREEN in coordination with Enel Foundation. This new assessment has evaluated the role of incentivizing policies in the transition to a renewable energy fueled e-mobility system, also taking into account the evolution of consumption models (e.g. vehicle sharing and pooling vs. private ownership) and the impact of new technologies (e.g. digital platforms, autonomous vehicles) on the development of sustainable mobility. The study underlines how factors like sharing and pooling services, digital platforms and integrated services, autonomous driving, and the increased consumer attention towards transport sustainability will all have a positive impact on the development of electric mobility.

Starting from this perspective, the study assessed the economic impact of three theoretical policy packages (what-if analysis), obtained combining nine types of policy measures, and aimed at supporting the uptake of electric vehicles and the development of a suitable charging infrastructure over the 2019 -2025 timeframe.

The results show that, although single policy measures alone may be costly, by coordinating local and national policies (e.g. bonus-malus and congestion charges) in a synergic way, it is possible to articulate over time a blend of measures in a financially balanced way, maximizing their effectiveness and minimizing – and in some cases canceling - the net financial burden.

In particular, the valorization of the best environmental performance may create financial resources that can be used to further boost sustainable mobility solutions, thus generating a virtuous cycle between decarbonisation and sustainability.

Finally the study underlines the importance of the modularity of policy packages: together with a monitoring system that can keep track of policies impact but also take into account the evolution of vehicle stock over time, a modular policy package system can be adapted and fine-tuned over time in order to maximize the desired incentivizing effect and minimize potential distortions.

Download the full report below (Italian only)