Volkswagen and Greece have agreed to replace internal-combustion-powered vehicles with EVs on the island of Astypalea to create a "smart green island."
Astypalea is one of the Dodecanese Islands in the south eatern Aegean Sea and, courtesy of an agreement between the German automaker and the Greek government, Astypalea is set to become a "smart green island."
The plan is to transition the current transportation to EVs and mobility services and implement renewable power generation. The plan includes replacing 1500 gas-powered vehicles with 1000 EVs, installing charging stations, bringing in e-scooters and e-bikes, and replacing the current bus system with ride-sharing and car-sharing solutions.
In addition to private vehicles, police, emergency services, and fleet vehicles will transition to EVs. The energy needed to power all of this for the 38.6-square-mile Mediterranean island will be provided by local solar and wind energy.
While the island itself is only 18km long by 13km wide and has only around 1300 residents, it's visited by 72,000 tourists each year. VW and Greece haven't yet named a date when this transition will take place.
