Thanos Papagiannis mit seinem neuen ID.3, dem ersten privaten ID.3 auf Astypalea. Foto: Volkswagen AG
Project Smart & Sustainable Island: First e-cars for private customers on Astypalea
The electrification of Astypalea is picking up speed: The Volkswagen Group has delivered the first electric cars to private customers on the Greek island. A turquoise ID.3 Pure was received by its new owner directly at the windmills in the main town of Chora. Further deliveries included the ID.4 and e-up! and the Seat MÓ eScooter 125. This means that the e-fleet on Astypalea is constantly growing, after the local authorities have been using e-vehicles since last year. The “Smart & Sustainable Island” project is a joint initiative of the Volkswagen Group and the Republic of Greece. In the coming years, Astypalea is to be converted to smart, sustainable mobility and the energy system is to be completely renewed.
Thanos Papagiannis, the first ID.3 customer on Astypalea, is a staunch advocate of e-mobility. His new e-car replaces a Volkswagen Golf 3: “E-mobility is perfectly suited for Astypalea. The routes are short, electricity consumption is low and the charging network is now very well developed. I hope that with this project we can also get other regions excited about more climate protection and e-mobility.”
Maik Stephan, Head of Business Development at the Volkswagen Group and project manager, emphasizes: “Astypalea is a future laboratory for the mobility of tomorrow. We are experiencing the same change here as everywhere in Europe, only in a much shorter time. Now that the first private customers are driving electrically, word will quickly get around about how fascinating e-mobility is.”
Beyond the electrification of the vehicle fleet, Volkswagen is committed to sustainable development on Astypalea. The Greek Volkswagen importer Kosmocar and the island’s administration have started a recycling initiative to rid the island of scrap vehicles. In many places, broken motorcycles, cars and trucks are simply left behind and pollute the beautiful island for years. The recycling campaign is intended to eliminate the associated environmental pollution and make the island even more beautiful. The vehicles are first collected by helpers, then taken to Athens by ship and professionally recycled there.
The next milestone of the Smart & Sustainable Island project is already imminent: In the summer, Volkswagen will launch innovative, fully electric mobility services together with local companies. Ride sharing and vehicle sharing are designed to improve mobility while helping to reduce the overall number of vehicles on the island. www.volkswagen.com
Please follow and like us:
