According to the company, the electric vehicles will enter service in 2010 and will be designed to meet the daily needs of drivers effectively and economically.
As part of the project, Daimler will supply and maintain more than 100 electric vehicles for customers in Rome, Pisa and Milan. Enel will be responsible for the development, implementation and operation of the infrastructure, with more than 400 dedicated recharging points, as well as the central control system.
These three cities were selected because they represent the diverse lifestyles and living arrangements that characterize Italy, according to Enel. The electricity used to supply the electric cars will be certified by Renewable Energy Certificate System (RECS), an international system involving 25 European countries that was established to finance the development of renewable energy resources.
The company claims that already 1.3 million customers have signed up for this type of plan, provided by Enel Energia on the free market. A joint team of Enel and Daimler engineers and technicians will be working on developing the project, with testing scheduled to begin in 2010.
The infrastructure will enable drivers in the e-mobility Italy initiative to locate available recharging points, like the current system for Enel employees, who each morning receive the information they need to provide assistance and maintenance services for the entire Italian distribution network directly in their company vehicles. The vehicles to be used in the e-mobility Italy project will be smart fortwos.
Enel is a power company in Italy. It produces, distributes and sells electricity and gas across Europe, North and Latin America. After the acquisition of the Spanish utility Endesa, together with partner Acciona, Enel has a presence in 22 countries, claims Enel.
