The result was a beautiful business meeting as well asa beautiful gift: a wooden tablet with a valuable greeting in Japanese, created in collaboration with Agenzia Perdonà.
In this country, Alberto was able to experience first-hand the race towards electric technology that is changing the Japan’s overall outlook and mobility. His journey enabled him to gather new ideas and cues for a progressive electric tourismin Italy.
Japan and electric mobility: some numbers
Japan has always been a heavily industrialized country, but in recent yearsthe issue of sustainability came to a challenge. As a result, Japan is confidently carrying its electric revolution. Some resistancehowever is shown by the CEO of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, who warns about the implications of a too sudden transition to electric mobility. Already in 2019, the number of electric columns exceeded that of traditionalpetrol stations: 40.000 electric charging points against 30,000 petrol pumps.
In preparation to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, then postponed for Covid-19, Toyota itself has committed to the launch of a different mobility concept, consisting of innovative, electric self-driving concept cars, to transport delegations and sportspeople in the streets in the capital. A sign that in view of the important tourist flow, the use of electric mobility becomes both the answer as well as a demonstration of strength of the nation.
Also, from the point of view of electric navigation, GardaSolar’s core business,Japan is already ahead: the recent decision to introduce electric boats and green ferries to act as a link between the many islands that dot Japan, is a perfect example of this.
Electric mobility … but what about Italy?
As we know our country is notoriously slow to embrace innovation. Indeed, electric mobility has still to become the norm in the habits of people and, above all, institutions.
The recent 2020 LeasePlan report certifies that 25% of total Italian electric cars circulate in Milan, but the rest of Italy is struggling to keep up: in a ranking of 22 European countries Italy ranks 17th, with only 3% of penetration of electric cars. On the other hand, the top three countries are the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. For Norway alone, electric cars make up 60% of the country’s total cars.
Electric mobility could definitely be the change for the better, both in the world of business and tourism, it dramatically change the traveller’s footprint that arises from increasingly longer periods of relaxation.
Just think of Venice, a city with a fragile ecosystem that could benefit from reduced wave motion thanks to electric outboards. In reality, electric boats are far from becoming a trend in the city and have remained, so far, only electoral promises.
How to bridge the gap?
“I believe that reluctance and doubts about electric mobility are caused by disinformation, explains Alberto Pozzo. This is why our commitment, beyond ongoing research for products and services, is to inform about the advantages of this form of mobility and dismantle prejudices, often unjustified. On the subject of costs, for example. In recent months we have been intensifying our communication efforts to help tourism entrepreneurs look beyond the size of the investment, which is certainly important. Investing in an electric fleet for tourist rental, in fact, allows you to recover the expense quickly, even in a single season. Therefore, I believe that informing, offering advice and constant proximity to professionals in the sector are the right solutions in this initial phase. We believe in it and that’s what we do every day.”
