The Volkswagen Group is joining forces with the Greek government for a special project. They are going to try to make an island as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible. Of course, cars also play a role.
Astipalaia is the island in question. That is fairly close to Kos, so towards Turkey. The island is 97 square kilometers and is by no means densely populated. About 1,300 people live there. That does not alter the fact that something special awaits Astipalaia: the Greek government wants to make it as ‘green’ as possible of it, among other things to show what the possibilities are in that area. Mobility obviously also plays a role here, and that’s where the Volkswagen Group comes in.
Electric cars and scooters of the brands of the VW Group are going to Astipalaia. The Volkswagen ID3 and ID4, among others, are to replace the fuel cars on the island. Car-sharing services are also being set up. A total of 1,000 electric cars are going to Astipalaia, which will replace a total of 1,500 cars with combustion engines. The required electricity must be generated by wind and solar energy.
It is somewhat reminiscent of the Rügen project from the 90s. Renault also did something similar on a slightly smaller scale by lending everyone a Zoe in a southern French hamlet.