In 2011, Magneti Marelli is again a partner of the Ecopatente project, sponsored by Legambiente together with Confarca (Confederazione Autoscuole Riunite e Consulenti Automobilistici – Confederation of Driving Schools and Automotive Consultants) and Unasca (Unione Nazionale Autoscuole Studi Consulenza Automobilistica, another important confederation of driving cchools and automotive consultants) with the sponsorship of the Italian Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of the Environment and of Land and Sea Protection.
In tune with its own vision of mobility, Magneti Marelli decided to support, for the third year in a row, the initiative that once again aims to boost environmental protection awareness among youngsters and to distribute information on the proper and environmentally-friendly use of the vehicle. “Ecopatente” is intended for all students who take lessons at any driving school participating in the project.
By expanding the Ecopatente project to the UNASCA circuit, the number of driving schools in the 2011/2012 edition will increase to about 5900. The training sessions aimed at obtaining one’s Ecopatente will feature, among other things, some of Magneti Marelli’s technologies that allow reduced consumptions and emissions. For example, the AMT Freechoice® that automates a regular manual transmission, ensuring less fuel consumption and emissions together with improved driving comfort; Xenon gas-discharge headlamps, whose evolution, together with LED lighting, has opened new doors on the topic of safety and reduced CO2, emissions and fuel consumption; the integrated navigation systems, which help define an optimal itinerary, at the same time ensuring information on travel parameters; the area dedicated to infomobility devices that allow vehicles to communicate with infrastructures and providers of services for intelligent monitoring of vehicle behaviour and driving style; exhaust systems, which significantly contribute to the processing of exhaust gases and to reducing the pollutants contained in such gases.
About twenty-five thousand youngsters were presented with the Ecopatente during the past editions. All participants received a kit containing a set of driving rules that respect the environment and information concerning environmentally-sustainable technologies for automobiles.
In parallel, the heads of 400 driving schools took part in a travelling training programme on the issue of sustainable mobility solutions and the importance of proper vehicle maintenance, with a view to both environmental protection and safety. The Magneti Marelli Checkstar training consultants also contributed to these training sessions with teaching activities and information. Checkstar is the service network of Magneti Marelli After Market Parts and Services that supplies products, spare parts, services and know-how to motorists through a network of 1,800 workshops in Italy and about 4,800 in the world.
<<Within the scope of the growing focus on sustainability issues inside and outside our company – stated Michele Bellone, Marketing and Communication Manager of Magneti Marelli – we firmly believe that the dedication and perseverance in reiterating a few messages aimed at environmental protection, environmentally-sustainable use of vehicles and driver responsibility, is crucial especially with regards to the personal growth and training of tomorrow’s citizens and drivers. This is how our decision to sponsor the Ecopatente project for the third year in a row should be interpreted.>>.
