Digitalization and Green Transition are the Main Drivers of the Future of Mobility

Italy has a long and prestigious history in the automotive industry – over € 33 bilion of cars manufactured in Italy are exported abroad every year – and ranks among the first countries with the highest percentage of industrial robots used in this sector (9% of companies vs 7% European average). The challenges of decarbonisation are leading to a technological reconversion of the entire automotive supply chain, destined to become increasingly sustainable, connected and safe.

A group of Italian and local experts were invited by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy in the UAE, the Consulate General in Dubai and the Italian Commissioner’s Office of the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, at the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 to discuss the future of the mobility and how connected cars are becoming more and more a reality.

The Innovation Talk titled “Connected Cars and Sustaibalbe Mobility” was moderated by Carlo Ferro President Italian Trade Agency, and included as guest speakers Livia Cevolini, CEO Energica Motor Company S.p.A.; Alfonso Fuggetta, Ceo Cefriel; Alberto Litta Modignani, VP Hydrogen Nextchem; Elisa Vannini, Researcher Connected Car & Mobility Observatory of Politecnico di Milano; Andew DeFrancesca, Sales And Business Development Manager eka; Nuzhat Naweedd, Chief Product Offier CAFU. H.E. Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE, also attended the event and shard with the public his closing remarks.

All over the world we are at a cross road between digital transformation and environmental transition. Opening the floor, Elisa Vannini, Researcher, Connected Car & Mobility Observatory, Politecnico di Milano, shared what are the main trends emerging in th automotive industry and their impacts in the business model evolution of the automotive sector.

“It’s all about data valorization” Ms Vannini said. “We’ll see for sure the developing of a lot of new services, for instance maintenance in preventive and predictive way. There will be a process of servitization of hardware with car makers that are going to be able to build a competitive advantage on the hardware components and unlock extended capabilities and offer the users the possibility to activate extra services.

And then we will have an impact even on affiliated sectors, with the insurance companies, for example, being able to customize their policies on the basis of the data collected through the connected vehicles.”

The concept of cars will completely change and so is the way we deisgn, produce and distribute them according to Alfonso Fuggetta, Ceo Cefriel, an Italian center for digital innovation that creates and rethinks products, services and processes, participates to national and international research, and develops digital skills and culture. Cooperation, agility and a stratup attitude are crucial for the industry to accelerate the process of innovation and to rethik the mobility products.

Talking about the combination of tradition and innovation, Livia Cevolini, CEO Energica Motor Company S.p.A, the first Italian manufacturer of high-performing electric motorcycles, said “We are the perfect example of the combination between past and future. We do believe that that’s the best way to also face the new challenges of the new mobility. Having big roots in strong and mature skills, like we have in the Italian Motor Valley, makes you different compared to the sisters that for example we have in Silicon Valley, where software houses have great, incredible skills in the new challenges of the digitalization and connectivity, but not enough.

We are doing mobility, that means also mechanical engineering; what makes a difference and what is for us the winning choice, is to combine the aggressive push for innovation on digitalization and new mobility with the perfect mechanical engineering that we have in Italy, where we have a big history in the automotive field.”

Commenting about the role of hydrogen in accelerating the energy transition in the mobility sector, Alberto Litta Modignani, VP Hydrogen Nextchem, a company for green chemistry and energy transition, said “Hydrogen is an enabler of the energy transition in many sectors, including mobility. In mobility it can serve as a fuel directly into fuel cells and it can be used also to produce synthetic fuels, combining hydrogen and CO2. This can be done in a green way in areas of the world where there is availability of renewable power and renewable sources, like sun and wind, enabling the production of green hydrogen for the decarbonisation of those sectors.”

The Innovation Talks are a platform to foster the dialogue between Italy and UAE initiated by the Embassy of Italy to the UAE last year with InnovItaly and that will continue after Expo2020. Each talk feature highly-regarded personalities from both Italy and the UAE invited to discuss issues related to Expo 2020 Dubai’s weekly themes and the trade fairs ITA is participating in around the Emirates.