Sustainable Mobility Transition: A SWOT-AHP Analysis of the Case Study of Italy

Abstract

The significance of sustainable mobility transition projects extends beyond borders. Transportation, particularly passenger vehicles, is a crucial sector in achieving sustainability. Therefore, prioritizing sustainable green mobility has led to the inclusion of alternative solutions, with a focus on accelerating the shift towards electric vehicle (EV) technologies and implementing a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in all European countries by 2035. Italy has been making progress in this area as the country seeks to address environmental concerns, reduce emissions, and promote sustainable transportation. However, compared to other European countries in 2024, Italy still has a long way to go to achieve a sustainable market share. In this regard, this article aims to address several questions related to the promotion and scaling up of the electric mobility transition project in Italy, taking into account the current situation. Specifically, it seeks to identify internal and external factors associated with this technology ecosystem, along with their relative importance. To conduct this study, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted to identify the factors, which was followed by the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methodology to determine their priority and importance. A total of 8 internal factors and 14 external factors were analyzed, and their overall priority was determined. This study reveals that it is crucial to capitalize on the opportunities and strengths related to technology ecosystems while effectively mitigating the threats and technological limitations in order to scale up technology adoption. In particular, strengths S1 and S3 were given the highest overall priority scores, suggesting that they are the most important factors to leverage for the successful adoption of the technology. These prioritized factors and subfactors are crucial for expediting the transition process and can influence consumers’ decisions. However, without a substantial increase in consumer understanding and knowledge of these technologies, public education campaigns will be necessary. The significance of this study is paramount, and its results can contribute to the continuous enhancement in the formulation of practical plans and regulations to promote sustainable transportation, taking into account the identified factors.