The future of transport seeks its ecological answer in green mobility, a key concept in the transition to more sustainable mobility. In Europe, there are already many regulations to support the change, such as the Green Deal and Fit for 55, strategic projects with the aim of reducing emissions towards the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The outlook is ambitious and the transport sector plays a decisive role. According to ‘The State Of European Transport’ report of March 2024, in fact, transport accounts for 29% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, with a risky and likely 44% in 2030.

Cars, together with lorries and vans, are the most polluting vehicles, with investment in private transport increasing since the end of the health emergency. On the other hand, however, sales of electric cars are growing, symbolising a conscious openness to alternative forms of mobility. This is demonstrated by the mandatory adoption in Italy of PUMS (Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans) in all municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Efficiency, cooperation and monitoring are at the basis of these forms of collective commitment, whose aim is not only the reduction of polluting emissions, but also urban reorganisation according to green mobility principles.

Green mobility: what is it?

The term green mobility refers to the set of interventions and solutions to make the movement of people and goods more environmentally sustainable. Since 2006, the European Council has focused on the concept of sustainable mobility, with the need to reduce air and noise pollution, road congestion and land degradation, while containing costs and increasing travel efficiency. In the face of continuing massive urbanisation, projecting 5 billion people in the world’s urban centres by 2030, a gradual long-term plan is essential.

A future within everyone’s reach therefore requires an ecosystem that invests in alternative forms of energy, ensures fair access to transport and aims at sharing. For this, green mobility is part of a broader design of parts, which responds to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and opts for smart mobility. Easily accessible, intermediate, shared, convenient and safe mobility that takes advantage of intelligent transport systems (ITS), such as satellite navigation systems, and technological infrastructure. All that remains is to choose how to get around.

More solutions for sustainable mobility

One of the most interesting aspects of green mobility is its intermediality, whereby the citizen has access to multiple forms of sustainable transport. Among the main alternatives, they can choose between soft mobility, micro-mobility and e-mobility, and shared mobility.

mobilità sostenibile

Soft mobility (or slow mobility)

Soft mobility involves journeys that do not require the use of motorized means and generally involve short trips. Human-sized mobility that promotes a more active and healthy lifestyle, reduces emissions and offers panoramic views of the city. Whether for a walk or a bike ride, soft mobility is the most natural solution of green mobility. 

Electric micromobility

From short trips, we move to long and medium distance journeys, which lend themselves to electric or semi-electric micromobility. This includes modern and agile means of transport, aided by e-mobility and sharing mobility tools. Easy to use and affordable, the protagonists of electric micromobility are:

  • Electric scooters: composed of two axles and a handlebar and equipped with an electric motor not exceeding 0.50 kW. 
  • Electric bicycles (e-bikes): equipped with an assisted pedaling and an electric motor not exceeding 0.25 kW. 

Less common, but still present, they are added to the list of hoverboards, segways and monowheels. They are similar to the electric scooter, but offer, respectively, alternatives without handlebars, with horizontal platform and handlebar and with handlebars and a wheel flanked by small platforms for the feet.

micromobilità elettrica

Electric mobility

Electric mobility, which is growing in Italy, offers a viable alternative to sustainable transport. Electric vehicles (EVs) use electrical energy rather than fossil fuels, are less polluting, more energy efficient, require fewer costs and maintenance, and are quiet. However, electric cars also face limitations such as the availability of charging infrastructure, the long battery life and the cost of purchasing a car. 

However, there are incentives for home charging infrastructures such as Daze wallbox, which allow you to comfortably charge your electric car at home, Helping to overcome one of the main barriers to electric vehicle deployment. These incentives make the installation of private charging stations more accessible and less expensive, by promoting greater autonomy and flexibility for users.

Support measures are permanently in place for both cases. From the PNU (National Single Platform), a centralized computer registry that makes charging points on the territory accessible to users, and new auto-electric ecobonus are available for purchase of electric, hybrid and endothermic cars. In this way, the citizen faces more manageable costs, although electric vehicles offer the possibility of sharing, whereby electric mobility meets shared mobility.

Shared mobility

Shared mobility includes the above categories and promotes a smart approach to green mobility. In this ecosystem, public transport offers the first alternative, although some limitations such as logistical delays and the impossibility of reaching certain destinations affect its effectiveness. However, other shared mobility solutions are easily accessible:

  • Car sharing: renting a car available to the driver for a short period in an urban setting.
  • Car pooling: sharing a private car between several people on their way to the same destination in order to share transport costs.

A change of perspective: the sustainable mobility pyramid

Although urban mobility is open to new forms of sustainable transport, among its critical features stands a road traffic still thought and oriented to the size of cars. Vehicles are the protagonists of the road, with resulting and frequent urban congestion and overcrowding in parking lots, often to the detriment of pedestrian and cycling transit zones. For this reason, in recent years, there has been a growing focus on the model of the reverse mobility pyramid, promoted by the European Council for Transport Safety. The aim is to shift attention from vehicles to people, with a priority tipping. Green mobility therefore promotes a paradigm shift whereby pedestrians, usually at the bottom of the pyramid, acquire a position at the top. Cycling, public transport and shared mobility follow, followed by private motor vehicles and finally the plane. The reverse pyramid therefore offers a functional vision, aware that sustainable mobility cannot offer an immediate and unambiguous solution. The path of change needs gradual and reasoned measures to limit traffic, move it towards sustainable forms of mobility and invest in the future green of electric vehicles.