Here Volkswagen is transforming an island into an electric car paradise

Astypalea is small and remote in the southern Aegean, yet the island is set to become a center of electric mobility in Europe. This is what the Greek government and the world’s largest carmaker, Volkswagen, want.

They signed a joint agreement that will transform the 114 square kilometer island into a laboratory for future mobility. The focus is on electric cars.

As soon as possible, all vehicles on the island will be replaced by modern electric cars and the Greek government wants to generate electricity from renewable sources in the future. The idea of ​​a CO island₂-free came from the Greek government, Volkswagen group chief Herbert Diess said.

An entire system should be CO₂-Be neutral

He is visibly enthusiastic about the project, after all he can use him as a reference figure for his electrification strategy. Diess has long been a pioneer of electromobility in the industry and therefore regularly encounters resistance from supporters of other forms of driving.

The fact that the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has chosen him as a partner for the “Smart Green Island” project is a stroke of luck for the VW boss.

“It’s about having a whole system for CO₂-To change the neutrality, “Diess said. VW will bring all of its experience into the project.” We will see a trial on Astypalea that will take 20 years in the rest of the world, condensed into three or four years, “said the coach.

Not only electric vehicles should contribute to the new climate-neutral mobility of the island, but also mobility services, car sharing and an app that can also be used by tourists. They then have access to cars, electric scooters and electric bicycles through the sharing service.

The previously poor public transport network with diesel buses is being replaced by a ride-sharing service. According to the planners in Astypalaia, only 900 to 1000 cars will be needed in the future instead of around 1500 cars. “We are improving the lives of people on the island and we want to show what the world will be like in a few years,” said Kostas Fragogiannis, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister.

He is thinking of a 65-year-old islander who previously had to walk to the bus stop to wait for one of the buses. “In the future, this offer will be replaced by an electric van that arrives at your home on call within minutes and takes you with it.”

The island’s individuals and businesses are making the switch to electric vehicles attractive to the state and businesses with generous subsidies. Whoever decides to buy a new electric car there receives 12,000 euros from the Greek state, in the rest of the country the premium is up to 5500 euros. In addition, Volkswagen will offer its cars “at cost price”.

Even traders would give up their profits when they sell on Astypalea. The offers would be very tempting, Diess said. “It will be very difficult to decide against an electric car there.” VW also wants to help set up private and public charging points.

In total, the group is initially investing three million euros in the project, and in the long run it should be ten million euros – a small sum for a company that recently made a quarterly profit of 2.3 billion euros even under conditions. Crown. Fragogiannis also put the government’s investments at ten million euros.

In addition, private investments in energy production on the island must be made. Because so far Astypalea has been supplied with electricity in a way that is the opposite of CO₂– is neutral. 90% of the energy currently comes from four diesel generators, said Alexandra Sdoukou, general secretary of the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy.

“We want to replace them with a renewable hybrid system.” By this he means a mix of wind and solar systems. The need is clear: Astypalea requires a maximum of 2.4 megawatts of power in the summer so far. Sdoukou estimates the additional demand for electric cars at 1.4 megawatts – “if all vehicles are charged at the same time”.

Large modern wind turbines already have an output of around three megawatts. When it is calm or the sun is not shining, it should be possible to use the electricity stored on the island in the future. It is therefore in the batteries of electric cars, which obviously are never driven all at the same time.

The 1300 islanders will not know the phenomenon of the fear of autonomy that afflicts many motorists on the continent. Astypalea, which is not even half of Usedom, has a road network of only 190 kilometers, of which 120 kilometers are unpaved.

However, tourists arriving by ferry can still reach the island with their petrol or diesel cars. So far, the rather unknown place in the Aegean has only had around 72,000 visitors a year. It should be something more in the future: when electric car enthusiasts make a pilgrimage to Astypalea to visit the open-air laboratory for zero-impact mobility.