They are a pillar of Italian history, but also for the Alpine troops 2020 was a year of transition and transformation that led, in 2021, to approach a new type of mobility: that on two wheels.
In fact, the new e-bikes supplied by the Treviso-based company Fantic Motor to Difesa Servizi Spa (the subsidiary of the Ministry of Defense) will accompany the traditional mules on the mountain roads for an experimentation that will last about 6 months. The Alpine troops of the Italian Army will therefore be able to count on 9 very special e-bikes: these are pedal assisted bikes in a tactical configuration, specially designed for intense use on mountain trails and in a snowy environment.
The Army tests e-bikes: here is the experimentation on the snow
The bikes were delivered in recent days in the training area of Villa Bassa, in South Tyrol, and it will be the task of the “Julia” and “Taurinense” brigades to test them on the snow-covered paths to define the characteristics in terms of performance and effectiveness for a tactical use. The idea of the experimentation was born precisely from the experiences gained in the “Alpine Troops mountaineering raids”, which brought out the need to use vehicles with low environmental and acoustic impact that would allow you to travel medium-mountain routes in a short time while safeguarding the ecosystem .
“The Alpine Troops have in mobility one of the points that substantiate the ability to face the difficulties of operating in a challenging environment such as the mountain one – said General Claudio Berto, commander of the Alpine Troops of the Italian Army – The movement on foot and on skis although irreplaceable in many circumstances it is only one of the possibilities; technology, forest roads, and the experiences of athletes and two-wheel enthusiasts on paths and dirt roads have opened up the Mountain Bike dimension for us, making it possible and plausible to use e-bikes for military purposes even in those places that fatigue and slopes made inaccessible “.
The Alpine troops are not the only ones to have opted for e-bikes as means of service: the State Police had started a similar experiment in 2019 in Belluno thanks to four e-Bikes “dressed” in the colors of the classic livery, donated by Pinarello Spa company, while in Rome it has now been 8 years that the agents of the Local Police of Roma Capitale can count on e-bikes to patrol the parks in particular.
