Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular in Italy, which is investing heavily in the switch to new power sources for road travel. Not only for private use but also for hire, electric cars are becoming an ever more common sight. But are we really ready?
I hadn’t thought of that!
Carried away by my enthusiasm for technology and by the desire to travel green, on a recent business trip I decided to hire a fully electric car.
My curiosity about this technology, which was new to me, pushed the more practical questions to consider when making this choice somewhat into the background. Among them, the two fundamental questions: what is the car’s range and, above all, where will I be able to charge it?
Range and charging
I was pleasantly surprised by the range, which in my case was about 250 km with a 90% charge, and then by the driving quality, which was smooth and responsive. Despite the various journeys I made over the two days of use and driving on very busy roads, I arrived at the time of return with 20% charge still left. But here comes the second question: where will I be able to charge it?
So I turned to the web to search for charging points near me and discovered that there are city maps showing the locations of all active charging stations.
During my search, I then came across another tool that can be very useful: the EViaggio* website.
EViaggio
Created by engineer Nicola Carlon, this tool provides a map not so much of available charging points as of the venues that have them. By entering the location you are interested in, you can find hotels, venues, restaurants, campsites, etc… that let you charge your car.
The strengths of this tool are that, being a website, there is no need to download apps or register, and using it is completely free.
In addition, the information comes from two sources, users and the owners of the points of interest: in this way, not only are those who run a tourist venue encouraged to list their charging point, but its accessibility and usability are also reviewed by those who use the service. The information available is therefore verified.
Using electric cars is the new frontier, also in view of the European Union’s proposal that would see the sale of diesel and petrol cars stop from 2035.
This new frontier has yet to be consolidated, and the management of all the related aspects will need to be simplified and made more accessible, but already now, by taking care to ask ourselves the right questions in advance and planning our itinerary around our specific needs, it is worth living the “electric experience”.
[Source: InformaOra, Elena Colombo https://www.informaora.com/2021/07/23/viaggio-in-elettrico-aspetti-da-considerare-e-community-in-nostro-aiuto/]
