What does it mean to use an electric car for work, and what is the importance of knowing how to be organised?

Those who deal with electric mobility and high-tech probably already know him: Federico Lagni is a young entrepreneur who, with his company, organizes some of the most important Italian conferences dedicated to innovation: from ICT to blockchain, from cryptocurrencies to cyber security, as well as GDPR and many other topics.
In his work, strategic consultancy for marketing and communication stand out but when it comes to eMobility, Federico founded the Tesla Club Italy as early as 2010. «I got into electric mobility firstly as a passion – he explains – also because I was one of the very first Italians to follow Elon Musk, back in 2008, because of his background in hi-tech». This inspired the foundation of Tesla Club Italy ten years ago, even before the Tesla's arrival in Italy.

Lagni uses his Tesla every day and travels mainly for work. He is one of the professionals who also organizes his work based on the breaks at the charging stations. Like him, the number of electric cars within the company fleets has begun to grow: more than 2,000 in 2020 compared to 1,560 last year (Source, e-Motus data).

We asked Federico Lagni what it means to use an electric car when moving for work even on long routes.

You use your electric car even, and mainly, for work. What are the differences in your travel planning and overall time?

Basically, no difference at all. The planning is trivial (moreover, the car navigator does it automatically): the only difference compared to the journey with an endothermic car is linked to the timings: there is no lengthening or variation of the route. In Tesla's case, the Supercharger charging network is very useful and powerful and allows you to recharge very quickly, having little impact on charging times.
A Vicenza-Rome trip takes about 45 minutes longer than an endothermic car, and I must say that the pleasure of driving and traveling has increased with an electric car. When you are charging, I eat lunch or work on the laptop, as though I were in the office.

So you’re saying that an electric car is not a limit for a professional? There are those, perhaps still the majority, who see the car or electric bike at most as a pleasure for Sunday’s.

The only limits are only in opening (or in closed) minds. In most cases, a Tesla driver is a professional or entrepreneur who drives many kilometres a year. From a research done years ago with Duferco Energia the result obtained was an annual average of 52,000 km of travel.

To those who consider an electric vehicle or a Tesla in particular, only a car for Sunday driving I often ask: have you ever tried it? The answer is usually no, and this undermines the authority of opinions totally unrelated to the practical and real aspects. Furthermore: the electric car is a car that you enjoy as much every day as on Sunday, even while working.

But if you have to take a longer trip than usual and are short on time, or you’re late, how do you manage if you have to stop several times or take longer breaks?

Long journeys, with the Tesla Supercharger network, are not a problem. Although there is the navigator that indicates everything in detail, after a few trips it is hardly necessary to use it for planning. In fact, we’ll be able do it on our own, without making complex calculations. It will simply become a new habit and our new approach to travelling, practically unaffected.

How do you rate the level of the charging infrastructure in Italy? Moreover, speaking of opened or closed mindedness, how how do you rate the cultural level of motorists towards e-mobility?

The level of charging infrastructure in Italy is much better than one might think. I feel that, even today, the existing electric charging stations would be sufficient for a much higher number of electric cars than the current one. For the simple reason, which I often see overlooked by colleagues in the sector: for electricity, the first point of “refuelling” is our home, for those who have a garage, of course. For those who do not have one, many solutions that will facilitate charging in condominium contexts are being studied under trial.

I often try to make people think by telling them how thousands of people, already in Italy, have been driving electric cars for years. The question that all motorists should ask themselves is: if many people have already done it, happily, for years … why shouldn't I be able to do it now there are more charging stations available than just 3 years ago?

The cultural aspect is fundamental. It is the gateway to a world that, from within, is much simpler than it seems. I also see it with Enerev, our Tesla short-term rental service: those who rent one for a few days return bewildered, astonished, and enthusiastic, with very new ideas and perspectives.

Does the Tesla Club Italy you founded and preside over only deal with the Tesla world, or with electric mobility as a whole?

Absolutely all electric mobility, in fact. Although we bear this name, our statute objectives are to inform and raise public awareness about electric mobility and all environmentally sustainable technologies. For the past 10 years in Italy, we have been doing this with great effectiveness: we have also been dealing with political, state and private institutions, with whom we collaborate to do what is most necessary in this new trend: information and training, telling Italy about the positive evolution.

We have an audience of tens of thousands of people, often professionals, who through our activities, even offline such as the Tesla Revolution national conference, make the first decisive step towards e-Mobility: by getting informed. 

Andrea Bertaglio