Astypalea in Greece to become model island for climate-neutral mobility

The Volkswagen Group and Greece have agreed to establish a mobility system on the Mediterranean island of Astypalea focusing on e-mobility, smart mobility solutions and green power generation.

The aim is to make Astypalea a model island for climate- neutral mobility. A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed in Wolfsburg and Athens today by Konstantinos Fragogiannis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Openness, and Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Group.

New mobility services such as vehicle sharing or ridesharing will help reduce and optimise traffic. Energy will be primarily generated from local green power sources such as solar and wind. The project initially will run for six years.

At the centre of the project is an entirely new transport system with digital mobility services, including an all-electric year-round ridesharing service designed to take the current very limited local bus service to a new level.

Together with local partners, part of the traditional vehicle rental business will be transformed into a vehicle sharing service offering e-scooters from the Group’s SEAT brand and e-bikes in addition to electric cars. This alone will help to significantly reduce the vehicle fleet on the island. In total, some 1,000 electric vehicles shall replace about 1,500 vehicles with combustion engines.

Commercial vehicles from local businesses as well as utility vehicles on the island – such as police vehicles, emergency services transport and public sector fleets – will also be electrified. Volkswagen will install its Elli chargers across the island to ensure a comprehensive charging infrastructure offering about 230 private and several public charging points.