With the support of the government and the Volkswagen Group, the Greek island of Astypalea is to become a showpiece for alternative mobility and energy generation. The approximately 96 square kilometers in the Mediterranean are to become an “electric island”.
VW CEO Herbert Diess, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Kostas Fragogiannis handed over the first electric vehicles there, including an ID.4 as the first battery-electric police car in Greece. At the same time, the first private and public charging points went online.
The first electric vehicles are used by the police, at the airport and by the island administration. Sales to private customers will then start at the end of the month. The VW e-Up, the ID.3 and the ID.4 as well as the e-Scooter 125 from Seat Mó are available. The Greek government is also supporting the switch to e-mobility with purchase premiums. The next step is to start the new mobility services: both fully electric car sharing and ridesharing are already in preparation.
Electricity comes from the sun – instead of from diesel generators
The Greek government also announced its green energy transformation plans. The energy system will be converted to renewable energies in two phases: a new solar park will deliver around three megawatts of green electricity by 2023. This covers 100 percent of the electricity required for the electric vehicles and more than 50 percent of the islands’ total energy requirements. The new energy system will be expanded further by 2026 and should then cover around 80 percent of the total energy demand.
A battery storage system will help to keep the grid stable and to use the solar park as efficiently as possible. The bottom line is that not only are CO2 emissions significantly reduced, but energy costs are also cut by around 30 percent. So far, the island has been supplied with electricity from diesel generators.
Scientists from the University of the Aegean (Greece) and the University of Strathclyde (Scotland) will accompany and systematically evaluate the transformation on Astypalea. The study focuses on the people of Astypalaia and their attitudes towards transformation. A series of surveys examines general views on e-mobility and the willingness to switch to an e-vehicle.
ampnet