The government of Greece and Volkswagen have signed an agreement to test a zero-emission mobility project on the small island of Stampalia: only electric vehicles will circulate on the territory, powered by energy produced locally from renewable sources.
Stampalia is an island of the Dodecanese of 97 square km, an Italian colony until the Second World War.
It is inhabited by 1,300 people and receives about 72,000 tourists a year.
Within six years, as long as the agreement with the Greek government will last, Volkswagen will replace the approximately 1,500 combustion engine vehicles that run on the island with thousands of electric vehicles: buses, police vehicles, ambulances, delivery vans, scooters and cars for sharing.
The German company will also install 230 charging stations.
The electricity to power these vehicles will be produced mainly from renewable sources on the island, wind and photovoltaic.
The final goal is to make Stampalia zero emissions, experimenting how this goal can be achieved and what difficulties must be overcome.