Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) successfully advised E.ON Drive Infrastructure Italy (“E.ON Drive”) on its successful competitive tender for three lots dedicated to developing an ultra‑fast charging network for electric vehicles along Italian motorways awarded by Autostrade per l’Italia (“ASPI”).
The project will deliver 104 ultra-fast charging points across 18 motorway service areas along Italy’s busiest East‑West and North‑South corridors, including the A4 (Turin–Trieste) and A14 (Bologna–Taranto) motorways.
Each charging site is designed as an individual energy hub integrating photovoltaic systems, BESS storage units, and ultra‑fast chargers of up to 400 kW, all fully powered by green energy.
The ASPI tender forms part of a broader programme to install new charging infrastructure across 60 service areas, meeting European Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (“AFIR”) requirements aimed at ensuring uniform standards for long‑distance electric mobility.
E.ON Drive is part of E.ON Drive Infrastructure, the market‑leading pan‑European charge point operator with over 8.000 public charge point across Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands and Romania. ASPI is one of Europe’s leading motorway construction and toll-road operators, managing around 3,000 km of network in Italy.
The multidisciplinary WFW Italy team that advised E.ON Drive on the competitive tender comprised Public Law, Regulatory & Competition Partner Giannalberto Mazzei and Senior Associate Cesare Fossati. Corporate Counsel Arianna Neri provided contractual and corporate advice.
Giannalberto commented: “We are pleased to have supported E.ON Drive on this significant strategic deal that helps develop both an expansive modern charging network across Italy and more open, competitive and sustainable national energy market”.
E.ON Drive Managing Director Michele De Gaspari: “This result marks an important milestone for E.ON Drive. I would like to thank all teams involved for their commitment throughout the entire process. A special thanks also goes to WFW for their qualified and consistent support. This mandate confirms our ability to deliver complex projects and our pledge to accelerate Italy’s electric mobility transition”.
