The aim of the two decrees signed by the Minister of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility, Enrico Giovannini, is to promote the purchase of environmentally friendly and technologically advanced vehicles by Italian transport companies in order to renew their vehicle fleets. This will be done by supporting innovative and energy-efficient vehicles, with incentives amounting to around 100 million euros this year.
PNRR funds dedicated to renewal
After incentives for the elimination of the most polluting buses, funds for the renewal of trains and buses, investments for greener ports and incentives for trucking companies, the government confirms its commitment to an ecological transformation of the entire mobility and logistics system.
Road transport is of fundamental importance for the functioning of the economic system and contributes significantly to the ecological transition and to increased road safety. Enrico Giovannini states that the existing vehicle fleet already has a high average age. The Minister for Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility hopes that road transport companies will seize this opportunity and contribute to the renewal of vehicles, in line with EU policies aimed at reducing gas emissions.
What about the High Sustainability Investments?
The “High Sustainability Investments” decree makes 50 million euros available to road haulage companies for the years 2021 to 2026 exclusively for the purchase of alternative, environmentally friendly vehicles of the latest generation, in particular hybrid (diesel/electric), electric and latest generation fuel vehicles (CNG, LNG). Incentives depend on the type and overall mass of the vehicle and range from a minimum of €4,000 for hybrids with an overall mass of 3.5 to 7 tonnes to €24,000 for electric vehicles over 16 tonnes. To these amounts is added a contribution of €1,000 in the event of the simultaneous scrapping of a diesel vehicle.
What about the Investments aimed at the renewal and technological adaptation of the vehicle fleet?
The other decree, for “Investments aimed at the renewal and technological adaptation of the vehicle fleet”, makes available an additional 50 million euros for the two-year period 2021-2022 to encourage the replacement of vehicles by road haulage companies, scrapping the most polluting and least safe ones.
This decree reserves a quota of 35 million euros for the purchase of Euro 6 diesel vehicles only against the simultaneous scrapping of old and polluting commercial vehicles. The incentives range from a minimum of €7,000 to a maximum of €15,000.
For the purchase of Euro 6-D Final and Euro 6 light commercial vehicles, the contribution is €3,000. 5 million euros is reserved for the purchase of alternative traction vehicles (hybrid, electric, CNG and LNG), with incentives ranging from a minimum of €4,000 to a maximum of €24,000, plus €1,000 for the scrapping of an obsolete vehicle. A further EUR 10 million has been earmarked for the purchase of trailers and semi-trailers used for combined rail and maritime transport and equipped with innovative devices to achieve greater safety and energy savings.
Conclusions
The government thus confirms once again its commitment to an ecological transformation of the entire mobility and logistics system.
This is a real opportunity for a major change, which would be beneficial not only for the environment but also for public health, while fully respecting citizens’ rights but not forgetting industrial activity.
Source: Italian Ministry Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility