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The criteria for mobility regulations must be based on the actual environmental performance of vehicles, rather than on the technologies which they employ. This is according to Paolo Monferino, Chief Executive Officer of Iveco, in his closing speech at the conference “Energy and transport: an integrated approach for a sustainable future”.

The conference was co-organised by Iveco and the Mario Magnetto Foundation in conjunction with the Turin Chamber of Commerce, whose President, Alessandro Barberis, delivered the opening address. It focused on the themes of energy and the mobility of people and goods, and included a series of speeches given by institutions and academic authorities. In particular, the President of the Piedmont Region, Mercedes Bresso, placed the accent on renewable energy projects in addition to cooperation, training and communication programmes.

Paolo Monferino underlined the way in which sustainable mobility depends on concerted action between public decision-makers and industrial decision-makers, with specific reference to the themes of vehicle-infrastructure communication and intermodality.

In particular, Iveco’s contribution centres on improving air quality: for many years the company has been manufacturing vehicles whose emission levels anticipate European regulations. Iveco is the leading European constructor of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, whose emission levels are well below proposed Euro 5 limits. Furthermore, Iveco is committed to the development of commercial vehicles powered by hybrid and electrical technology, and is conducting advanced road tests in conjunction with international transport operators.

The CEO of Iveco went on to discuss the renewal of the existing vehicle fleet, bearing in mind that in Italy, more than 30% of commercial vehicles still conform to Euro 0 emission standards, and another 30% are Euro 1 and Euro 2 vehicles. “The environmental benefits derived from the performance of ‘clean’, highly energy-efficient vehicles are partially undermined by the mass of obsolete vehicles which are still circulating on our roads. Consequently, the rapid improvement of air quality requires the rapid renewal of the existing vehicle park.”

“There are various ways to encourage this renewal, from incentive-based policies to the adoption of differentiated tolls and access restrictions based not on the technology used by vehicles, but on their actual environmental performance,” concluded Monferino. “Let us look for example at how the European Commission decided for the commercial vehicles to enforce emission standards. It established fixed limits, but enabled constructors to choose the technologies with which to achieve these targets.”