Greek Island Going EV-Only Gets Its First VW ID.4 Police Cars

VW Group CEO Herbert Diess and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis handed over the first electric vehicles to authorities in Astypalea, a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea.

Following the first announcement back in November, the plan to turn Astypalea into an “electric island” is now launched with the delivery of the first VW ID.4 models for use by the police, the port police, the airport authority, and the island’s municipality.

The launch event also included the delivery of the first Seat eScooters, as well as the opening of the first charging stations, both public and private. More EVs will follow, together with the launch of new mobility services, including car-sharing and ride-sharing, for the Greek island. The long-term goal for Astypalea is to become a “flagship island for sustainable mobility and green energy”.

“Astypalea will be a future lab for decarbonization in Europe,” said VW CEO Herbert Diess. “We will be researching in real-time what motivates people to switch to e-mobility and which incentives are needed to transition to a sustainable lifestyle. Volkswagen has been driving this change, offering the full range of sustainable mobility – from cars to charging to sustainable energy solutions. Astypalea can become a blueprint for a rapid transformation, fostered by the close collaboration of governments and businesses.”

“Astypalea will be a testbed for the green transition: energy-autonomous, and entirely powered by nature,” said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “This beautiful island is a central pillar in that transition, and I am enormously grateful to the local community for their continued support for the project. Our unique partnerships with Volkswagen, one of the world’s most dynamic and innovative car companies, and with the brilliant research teams at the Universities of the Aegean and Strathclyde, will give us vital insights that will help us to create incentives for change on our journey to a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future.”

Sales of electric vehicles to private customers will start by the end of the month. Residents of the island will initially get to choose between the VW e-Up, the ID.3, the ID.4, and the SEAT MO eScooter, backed up by subsidies from the government.

The development of a fully electric car-sharing service and ride-sharing service is also underway, with the services to replace the existing bus service. In addition, the island will open a 3MW new solar park by 2023, which will cover 100 percent of the energy needed to charge the EVs on the island and more than 50 percent of the island’s overall energy demand. By 2026, the green energy system will be expanded to cover more than 80 percent of the island’s demands.