Volkswagen Group and Greece to create model island for climate-neutral mobility
- Lighthouse project: Mediterranean island of Astypalea to transition to e-mobility, smart mobility solutions and green power generation
- Volkswagen and Greece sign memorandum of understanding
- Prime Minister Mitsotakis: “The ambitious endeavor is the result of a close partnership.”
- CEO Diess: “E-mobility and connected mobility services will significantly improve the quality of life, while contributing to a carbon neutral future.”
The Volkswagen Group and Greece have agreed to establish a groundbreaking mobility system on the Mediterranean island of Astypalea. To that end, the current transport system on the island will transition to electric vehicles and renewable power generation. In the long run, Astypalea will become a model island for climate-neutral mobility. A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed in Wolfsburg and Athen today by Konstantinos Fragogiannis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Openness, and Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Group. New mobility services such as vehicle sharing or ridesharing will help reduce and optimize traffic. Energy will be primarily generated from local green power sources such as solar and wind. The project initially will run for six years.
Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, said: “Politics, business and society have a common responsibility to limit climate change. Our long-term goal is climate-neutral mobility for everyone. And with the Astypalea project we will explore how to realize that vision already today. E-mobility and smart mobility will improve the quality of life, while contributing to a carbon neutral future.”
The Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said: “I strongly believe in partnerships. Governments can't deliver on their own and the private sector isn't the answer to every question. That is why this ambitious endeavor is the result of the close partnership between the Greek state and Volkswagen Group. A world leader in the automotive industry that aims at making its fleet of vehicles and the company carbon neutral by 2050; coming together with an European nation in full transformation mode.”
Konstantinos Fragogiannis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said: „Today is a great day for Astypalea, the Dodecanese Region, the Aegean Sea and all of Greece. Today we are launching the first /Smart Green Island` project in our country, which marks a major change in our outlook. Electric transport and a holistic, green and sustainable action plan will have a positive impact on the everyday life of the island's inhabitants. Combined with a pioneering public transport system, we are turning futuristic ideas into reality. Today Greece shows that it is ready to adopt groundbreaking, innovative and flagship investments that take society to another level of connectedness, smart sustainability and innate usability.”
The Volkswagen Group is committed to the goals of the Paris Agreement. The Group is aiming to become climate neutral by 2050 and has drawn up the “goTOzero” sustainability strategy to achieve this target.
The Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said: “I strongly believe in partnerships. Governments can't deliver on their own and the private sector isn't the answer to every question. That is why this ambitious endeavor is the result of the close partnership between the Greek state and Volkswagen Group. A world leader in the automotive industry that aims at making its fleet of vehicles and the company carbon neutral by 2050; coming together with an European nation in full transformation mode.”
Konstantinos Fragogiannis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said: „Today is a great day for Astypalea, the Dodecanese Region, the Aegean Sea and all of Greece. Today we are launching the first /Smart Green Island` project in our country, which marks a major change in our outlook. Electric transport and a holistic, green and sustainable action plan will have a positive impact on the everyday life of the island's inhabitants. Combined with a pioneering public transport system, we are turning futuristic ideas into reality. Today Greece shows that it is ready to adopt groundbreaking, innovative and flagship investments that take society to another level of connectedness, smart sustainability and innate usability.”
The Volkswagen Group is committed to the goals of the Paris Agreement. The Group is aiming to become climate neutral by 2050 and has drawn up the “goTOzero” sustainability strategy to achieve this target.