Unrae, industrial vehicles in Italy are over 14 years old

In Italy there are 725,000 industrial vehicles with a mass exceeding 3.5 tons, 50.4% of which with pre-Euro 4 engines. The average age is 14.3 years and 12.1 years only for the heavy sector above to 16 tons, which has 445,000 units. These are the data from the Observatory of Unrae, the association of foreign companies in Italy, which speaks of “alarming numbers for logistics and for the entire Italian economy if compared to the 979 million tons of goods transported each year, approximately 62% of the total”.

In 2022, registrations grew by 1.4% to 25,592 units, the largest share of which concerned heavy vehicles with a mass equal to or greater than 16 tonnes, equal to 21,735 (+4.1% on 2021). Diesel engines prevail in all categories: as many as 24,624 new vehicles equal to 96.2% of total registrations are fueled by diesel. Electric traction vehicles sold in 2022 were only 19 and even fewer hybrid vehicles (diesel + electric) stopped at 11 units. There are two fuel supplies that have grown: diesel (+3.6%) and electric (increased from 16 to 19 units), the others all decreasing: methane -38%, LNG -33%, hybrid -65%.

“We are convinced – explains the president of the Industrial Vehicles Section of Unrae, Paolo A. Starace – that the acceleration of the transition can take place by supporting the adoption of a mix of technologies, including the use of biofuels compatible with internal combustion engines today in circulation, electric and hydrogen, for which we will however have to wait a few years. It is urgent that the Government prepares a multi-year plan to support the renewal of the vehicle fleet and an infrastructure plan. Without a decisive intervention, our country will be condemned to progressive isolation caused by the impossibility of adopting new technologies by road haulage companies in the light of traffic restrictions already in force today”.