According to the franchisor Autostrada del Brennero, the most important Autostrada upgrade in northern Italy includes more electric vehicle charging stations and more hydrogen filling stations. Diego Katoni, CEO of Autostrada del Brennero, said that the 7.2 billion euro investment would make the A22 highway between Modena and Borzano one of the most environmentally friendly multimodal transport corridors in Italy. A main railway line extends along the same corridor, from Modena to the north, through Borzano, and reaches the Austrian border.

According to the franchisee, there are 57 electric vehicle charging stations, 22 service areas and 24 toll stations. This upgrade will enable more than 100 charging points for electric vehicles. It will also add four hydrogen refueling stations on the basis of the existing hydrogen refueling stations opened in Bolzano Sud in 2014. It is the first plant in Italy to produce, store and distribute green hydrogen, and remains the only such center in the country.

The system was created by Autostrada del Brennero and managed by the Institute of Technological Innovation. The foundation was jointly established by the Ministry of Education, University and Research and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Italy to promote basic and applied research.

Autostrada del Brennero said that the hydrogen production plant can produce 180 square meters of hydrogen per hour, totaling more than 1.5 million cubic meters per year. The hydrogen distributor can provide hydrogen fuel for about 15 buses every day, with the autonomy of 200-250 kilometers or up to 700 vehicles. Therefore, about 525000 liters of gasoline or 440000 liters of diesel are saved for the environment every year, which is equivalent to more than 1.2 million kilograms of carbon dioxide not emitted into the atmosphere. Autostrada del Brennero's long-term goal is to establish a gas station distribution network with an interval of no more than 100 kilometers.

We believe that innovation and technology will help us win the challenge of sustainable development, Cattoni said. We must immediately provide multiple alternatives to traditional fuels. He noted that the capillary fuel distribution infrastructure was critical. Our business plan provides for the development of five new plants. The new hydrogen refueling stations will be located in Brenna, Trento, Rovereto, Verona and Campo Galliano.

Initially, these will be refueling points, but the business plan has planned to transform them into as many production centers as possible, which will develop the most suitable renewable energy for each area where A22 crosses. Franchisees are also considering electric car stations powered by biomass energy and wind turbines.Editor/Xing Wentao