All over the world, governments are taking huge steps towards the incentivization and mainstream integration of sustainable, low-emission mobility. More than ever before, alternative modes of transport which were once seen as leisure activities, i.e., cycling and electric scooters are now being integrated into the mainstream transportation framework, with infrastructure being developed to accommodate these vehicles.
The latest country to roll out some form of new incentivization program is Italy, wherein a law supporting electric vehicles, including e-scooter, bicycles, and motorcycles, will soon be implemented. Mario Draghi, Italian prime minister has signed a new Ministerial Decree which is set to finance incentives for the purchase of electric and low-carbon vehicles. The government seeks to allocate sizable resources towards the project, with 650 million Euros per year being set aside until 2024. This translates to a total of nearly two billion Euros until 2024, and a staggering 8.7 billion until 2030.
Not only will the incentivization program help to make low-emission and fully electric transport more accessible to the general public, they’ll also provide manufacturers with a much-needed boost. "Incentives are a concrete and long-awaited response to a sector that is going through profound suffering.” The Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti explained that the industry is going through a lot of difficulties at present, given the raw materials shortages occurring across the globe, as well as the raging war in Ukraine which has disrupted several economies.
“The pandemic, the shortage of raw materials and the war are also putting a strain on this sector. It is necessary to open a reflection on the necessary ecological transition which must be sustainable, possible and not leave behind dead and wounded,” Giorgetti added. The incentive program isn’t centered only around automobiles. Lightweight electric vehicles such as motorcycles, mopeds, and quadricycles are also very much part of the equation. In fact, we could even see their list prices slashed by up to 30 percent due to the incentives.
Furthermore, the new law even includes a Sustainable Mobility Bonus dedicated to bicycles, electric bikes, and e-scooters. A maximum value of up to 750 Euros can be redeemed in the form of tax credit to those who get around aboard these eco-friendly, zero-emission machines.
