In 2020, Volkswagen announced the signing of a partnership with Greece to transformAstypalaia Island (Astypalea) to the laboratory of the future for smart and sustainable mobility: electric cars from the Volkswagen, Ducati and Seat Mó brands or zero-emission charging and mobility solutions.

Since then, the German group has started building public charging infrastructure, launched a subsidy program for individuals and businesses, promoted the electrification of vehicles used by local authorities and launched the Astybus mobility service. and astyGO: activities that are now almost completely implemented.

Car sharing service on the island of Astypalaya

For the daily trips of the inhabitants of the island of Astypalaia, Volkswagen replaced the traditional bus line with car sharing servicecalled Astybus: this provided an improvement to the poor quality of local public transport, with up to five vehicles available depending on the season.

It comes in addition to car sharing service astyGO, which allows its customers to rent Volkswagen electric cars, Seat Mó electric scooters or even Ducati electric bikes thanks to the astyMOVE smartphone app.

The next step in the Volkswagen project is update the power system Astypalea, to use local and renewable resources instead of the current diesel generators that emit 5000 tons of CO2 per year. In 2024, it is planned to put hybrid energy production facilities into operation with a photovoltaic park with a capacity of 3.5 MW, as well as a battery storage system. These facilities will cover all the energy needs for electromobility, as well as 60% of the total energy needs, with the goal of covering 80% of them by 2026.

Locals approve

According to a recent study carried out on the island, the local population overwhelmingly supports the project: 80% of Astypalea residents are in favor of electromobility and mobility services. The Astybus car sharing service is especially appreciated (97% positive reviews) for its flexibility and affordable rates.

According to the survey, budget plays a key role in the decision to switch to electric mobility, and charging infrastructure is no longer seen as an obstacle. In addition, almost all new vehicles registered on the island are now electric : in a short time, the number of electric cars plying on the island increased from 0 to 84.

This impact study was carried out for several years in parallel with the Volkswagen project by scientists from the University of the Aegean in Greece and the University of Strathclyde in Scotland.

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