MUSE | Staff exchange @ Forni di Sotto & Tavagnacco (RAFVG)

The Staff Exchange organized by PP2 RAFVG in the framework of the MUSE project has proposed to share the experience of the municipalities of Forni di Sotto and Tavagnacco in preparing and managing two innovative systems of shared electric mobility for public use.

After the meeting of the partners in Udine, all present with their representatives, the participants went by reserved bus to the Municipality of Forni di Sotto, where a technical meeting was held with the mayor, Mr. Claudio Coradazzi, and the architect. Marco Lenna, technical area manager, public works sector, urban planning and land management, maintenance.

The speakers illustrated the main elements of the project, presented in 2011 as part of the "National call for the implementation of bike sharing projects associated with renewable energy systems and in particular photovoltaic shelters" (G.U. Series Gen. No. 88 of 16/04/10), aimed at encouraging sustainable mobility and funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment and Land Protection.

The "Bike Sharing and Renewable Sources" system consists in providing residents and tourists with 12 publicly-owned pedal-assisted bicycles, an innovative service with the following characteristics:

• aimed at citizens and tourists for travel in the town and cycle paths and in particular for the use of the attractions of the area, with a vocation for tourism-naturalistic, since Forni di Sotto is included in the Friulian Dolomites Natural Park registered in the "World Heritage List";
• the user can pick up the bike from a station and eventually return it in a different station from the one where it was picked up; 
• the collection and redelivery of bicycles will be controlled by a management system based on electronic cards; 

More in detail, the system consists of the following technical elements:

• n. 3 charging stations equipped with shelters in laminated wood with an elegant design located in strategic points of the municipality; 
• n. 3 photovoltaic systems integrated in the shelters and equipped with 10 modules of 180 W power each. Using the exchange of energy on site with the electricity grid is always guaranteed the operation of the system; 
• n. 9 columns (3 per station), each with two cycle positions. Thanks to these columns, it is possible to clamp (hook and unlock) the bikes in total safety and recharge them; 
• n. 12 pedal-assisted bikes with electric motor suitable for mountain routes and easy maintenance. Each bike is equipped with a nickel battery whose recharging at the station cycleposteggio guarantees autonomy for about 30 km of travel. The motor installed will be of the three-phase electric type and the battery recharging time will be about 4 hours;
• 3 information totems (useful numbers, suggested routes, correct use of the system), backlit and fixed, with integrated webcam to monitor stations and recording and control desks;
• 100 personalized electronic cards (badges). By going to one of the shelters and inserting the card in the column you can unlock the first bicycle available. If there are no bicycles available, the system will inform you about the nearest location where there are available vehicles.

The bike sharing system is also equipped with innovative aspects, as the management is entrusted to the Reception of the Albergo Diffuso Dolomiti also responsible for issuing the identification card that will allow access to the service from all locations in the Municipality of Forni di Sotto.

The representatives of the Municipality responded to the partners' questions and highlighted the need to invest additional resources to create a protected cycle path that will connect the cross-border area and Cortina, home of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The staff exchange continued at the Municipality of Tavagnacco, where the Councillor for Energy Dr. Giulia del Fabbro and the head of public works arch. Francesco Marciano.

The e-car sharing service and public recharging stations set up by the Municipality of Tavagnacco are located in a very different territory from the previous one: flat and densely populated, the Municipality of Tavagnacco is made up of a group of urban areas and settlements on the northern border of the city of Udine.

In 2011 Tavagnacco participated in a call for proposals POR-FESR 2007-2013 aimed at drafting a Sustainable Urban Development Plan (PISUS) that has created a distribution network through the setting up of 8 sites for electric recharging and electric car sharing located in the Municipality of Tavagnacco and in the Municipality of Udine.

The Municipality of Tavagnacco provides 4 charging stations and 2 electric cars in sharing, mainly used by employees of the Municipality. The photovoltaic carport has an installed power of 10.8 kW, the storage battery system has an accumulation of 10 kW, while each charging station has a maximum power of 22kW that allows you to fully cover the needs of cars being recharged.

Electric car sharing is thus closely linked to the development of an innovative concept of shared and sustainable mobility. The charging system of electric vehicles is technologically advanced, simple and safe to use. Once the vehicle is connected to the charging point with the appropriate cable and connector (European type 2), the charging process takes place automatically. The entire system is governed by a control centre that monitors the state of service of the infrastructure in real time.

Electric cars offer advantages over traditional vehicles:

• the cost of electricity is much lower than the price of traditional fuels (diesel, petrol), so an electric car, all things being equal, spends about 60-70% less than a diesel vehicle. On average, electric cars have charging costs of 2 cents per kilometer compared to 12 cents for petrol cars.
• atmospheric emissions from traditional vehicles are reduced, thus reducing the emission of pollutants (less smog/noise, lower CO2 emissions).

Average car cost table 2,000 km/year

The consumption of an electric car covering 11,000 km/year can be estimated at almost 1,700 kWh/year. The installation of a photovoltaic carport that produces 15,000 kWh/year allows to fully cover the needs of the four electric charging stations whose total consumption is equal to 6,800 kWh/year (1,700x4), thus obtaining a zero emissions balance.

The Deputy Mayor Fabris, the Councillor Del Fabbro and the architect. Marciano, using the electric cars of the Municipality of Tavagnacco, led the participants in an interactive park, set up by the Scientific Imaginary of Udine, where they illustrated a further innovative project that, thanks to the restoration of an old mill, allows to produce hydroelectric energy that feeds 5 school buildings of the Municipality.