Public EV charging network development through public-private dialogue
About this good practice
BEGIN: On February 2013 the city of Parma approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the Emilia Romagna Region, the Municipality of Parma, Enel Distribuzione SpA and AEM Torino Distribuzione SpA, aimed at promoting electric mobility on a regional scale.
FIRST STEP: Thanks to this agreement, the Municipal Council adopted two resolutions in 2013 and in 2015 which allowed the installation of the first 11 electric charging stations in Parma.
SECOND STEP: Subsequently the City Council approved a preliminary project for the location of the charging infrastructures and defined the guidelines for their expansion, and in November 2019 issued an expression of interest open to private operators willing to install electric charging station on public areas. Thanks to the agreements signed with two companies, 81 charging stations have been installed, both with normal power (22 kW) and with rapid charging (100 kW).
PROBLEM: The rapid increase in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles has made it necessary and urgent to implement a charging network, so as to make it more efficient and widespread.
AFTER: the guidelines for charging infrastructures company have been defined.
• Location plan for the charging stations;
• Maximum number of installations for each operator;
• Type and characteristics of Quick and Fast infrastructures;
• Interoperability to guarantee market freedom and service efficiency;
• Rules for dedicated parking spaces;
• Service functionality and quality standards.
Resources needed
No direct funds, only human resources to manage the administrative procedures of the expression of interest and the related agreements with private companies. Three people worked on the project, 15 hours per month for each collaborator, for three months for a total expense of euro 5,000.00.
Evidence of success
Thanks to this approach, the Municipality was able to develop the urban charging network with a very limited investment. Both expression of interests received a great attention and interest from private operators, resulting in 82 charging stations installed with the first one in 2019, and 13 operators presenting projects for the second one in 2024.
Potential for learning or transfer
The development of an on-street electric charging network is a necessary step for all cities for a successful transition in the mobility sector to meet users’ needs for fast and convenient en-route charging, and usually requires big investments.
Parma developed the described approach in order to provide the urban area with a charging network with widespread public access, efficient and available 24/7, able to meet the rapid increase of electric or plug-hybrid vehicles, without the investment of big public resources.
The objective of adopting this approach was twofold:
1) to guarantee an open market with the presence of different private operators – more able to keep up with the investments required by the latest charging technologies available on the market (HPC);
2) to offer a charging service extended throughout the municipal territory, avoiding a concentration in a few areas of the city.
Further information
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