VW Will Turn a Greek Island into a Model of Green Mobility

By Jay Ramey - Nov 09, 2020

VOLKSWAGEN

VOLKSWAGEN

 

  • Transport system on Astypalea will rely on EVs, e-scooters and e-bikes
  • 1,000 EVs will replace fleet of about 1,500 internal combustion vehicles
  • EV ridesharing services will appear, alongside hundreds of charging stations

 

Astypalea will aim to become carbon-neutral with renewable energy and an EV fleet.

 

Volkswagen plans to use a Greek island as an electric mobility laboratory, offering a glimpse into a not-so-distant carbon-neutral future where just about all transportation is electric and sustainable. The Mediterranean island of Astypalea will see its entire transport system converted to green vehicles. Additionally, a part of the island's vehicle rental system is switching over to electric cars, scooters and bicycles, with 1,000 EVs replacing a fleet of about 1,500 internal combustion-engined cars. Commercial, utility, emergency and police vehicles will also be electrified, creating the world's greenest fleet of public service vehicles.

How did Volkswagen choose the island in the Aegean Sea?

It had as much to do with the Greek island choosing this path for itself. It found VW as a partner to pull it off, just as the company's lineup of ID electric models, as well as from its other brands like SEAT and Skoda, popular in Greece, roll out into the marketplace. And being an island with a bit more than 1,300 residents, Astypalea is small enough for virtually all modes of transport to become electric fairly quickly, serving as a model for the rest of Greece and the European Union.

"Today we are launching the first 'Smart Green Island' project in our country, which marks a major change in our outlook," said Konstantinos Fragogiannis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. "Electric transport and a holistic, green and sustainable action plan will have a positive impact on the everyday life of the island's inhabitants. Combined with a pioneering public transport system, we are turning futuristic ideas into reality. Today Greece shows that it is ready to adopt groundbreaking, innovative and flagship investments that take society to another level of connectedness, smart sustainability and innate usability.”

 

 

But Astypalea is also large enough to host 72,000 tourists each year, and covers about a 38 square-mile area. So there are a lot of places to go for a fairly large number of annual visitors. And the island aspires to become a model of sustainable tourism, including ending its reliance on fossil fuels and relying exclusively on solar and wind power.

A part of the project is a transport system with digital mobility services, including an all-EV ridesharing service, with VW installing 230 of its Elli chargers—a type of EV charging station offered in Europe—across the island, in addition to the ones that exist today.

VW Group CEO Dr. Herbert Diess and Konstantinos Fragogiannis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Openness, signed a memorandum of understanding, officially launching the cooperative project.

"Politics, business and society have a common responsibility to limit climate change," said Diess. "Our long-term goal is climate-neutral mobility for everyone. And with the Astypalea project we will explore how to realize that vision already today. E-mobility and smart mobility will improve the quality of life, while contributing to a carbon neutral future."

Will Astypalea motivate other municipalities to switch to EV-only fleets of public service vehicles, such as police, buses and emergency cars? Norway certainly has a head start on many countries in electric mobility, with battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids accounting for 55.9% of vehicle sales in 2019.

 

SOURCE: Autoweek