«I Drive Electric»: New Program to Run Through April – 22,500-euro Subsidy for Taxis

A new round of the «I Move Electrically» program will be announced by April» with increased subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles, while at the same time a special program will be launched to replace taxis in Athens and Thessaloniki with electric vehicles, Environment and Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas announced today.

In a message to the 5th Electric Mobility Conference taking place today, Mr. Skrekas emphasized that during the previous phase of the program The target was exceeded regarding the deployment of electric vehicles as provided for in the energy and climate plan.

22,500-euro subsidy for taxis

Specifically, electric vehicle registrations reached 6,967 last year—a new record—compared to a target of 3,750 and 480 registrations in 2019. As part of the program, they submitted an application to purchase an electric car, motorcycle, or bicycle more than 18,000 citizens.

The new program will include subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles by both individuals and businesses, while The new taxi program will provide a subsidy of 22,500 euros for the purchase of an electric vehicle and the simultaneous trade-in of the existing one.

High Charging Costs – How Many Charging Stations Are There in Greece?

At the same conference, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, Alexandra Sdoukou, emphasized that the Ministry of Environment and Energy’s goals for 2022 include the increase in the number of electric vehicle chargers and the reduction of charging costs (for which, among other measures, a reduction in the VAT rate at publicly accessible charging stations from 24 to 6% is being considered).

Ms. Sdoukou noted that the ratio of chargers to the number of vehicles in Greece today is 1 to 6, which is above the EU’s target, which is 1 to 10. However, the majority of charging stations are located on private property with public access (e.g., shopping malls, supermarkets, etc.), while only 6% are located in publicly accessible areas (on the sidewalk).

Furthermore, while coverage on highways is satisfactory, there are areas of the country that lack charging infrastructure. To fill these gaps, the “Charge Everywhere” program is being promoted with 80 million in funding from the Recovery Fund to develop publicly accessible charging stations in areas where investment is not yet viable. At the same time, a study is underway to identify taxi stands (among the 150 authorized ones) that are suitable, in terms of infrastructure and land-use planning, for the installation of fast chargers. The first 35 have already been identified.

Regarding energy prices, Ms. Sdoukou noted that the rates for public charging are relatively high, and stand at 45–50 minutes per kilowatt-hour and 60 minutes for fast chargers. «We will examine this very carefully in collaboration with RAE, because there is a risk of discouraging those who do not have access to a private charging station at home or at work. It is necessary to reduce public charging rates under RAE oversight. At the same time, a reduction in the VAT rate is being considered,» said Ms. Sdoukou.

It should be noted that there are currently about 1,200 publicly accessible charging stations in operation, and based on market development scenarios, 12,000 will be needed by 2025 and 25,000 locations by 2030, which translates to investments totaling 500 million euros.

The Key Pillars of the Electric Mobility Plan

The Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, Kostas Karamanlis, also spoke about electric mobility—a key pillar of transportation development in Greece—at the 5th Electric Mobility Conference.

First axis One of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport's plans is to renew Greece's aging fleet of vehicles. At all levels: private cars, taxis, and public transportation.

In this context, Mr. Karamanlis announced that «specifically for taxis, we are preparing to provide a second round of financial support and to launch a new program ‘Green Taxis’ program, which is part of the Recovery Fund and provides funding to replace old, polluting taxis with all-electric ones.”. And the total subsidy for taxis may even exceed 20,000 euros, as Kostas Skrekas also stated.

At the same time, a plan is being developed to install charging infrastructure at taxi stands, with priority given to those where the HEDNO grid allows for it without requiring a significant increase in power capacity.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation noted that the incentives already offered for the purchase or lease of electric passenger cars and motorcycles have yielded results: In 2021, 6,967 electric cars were registered, compared to just 480 in 2019. The market share, which stood at 0.4% in 2019, surged to nearly 7%.

«Today, according to official EU data, Greece is the EU country with the highest percentage change in the electric vehicle market,» he noted.

Mr. Karamanlis emphasized the transition to electric vehicles in the public transportation sector. «The tender for the first 770 of the 1,300 new buses we have announced, which is currently underway, is fully aligned with this goal. The new buses will feature low-emission technology—either fully electric, hybrid, or CNG,» he noted, adding that once the new vehicles hit the streets, Athens will be the European city with the highest proportion of electric buses.

Ο second axis of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport’s plan for electric mobility—and equally important—is the infrastructure for easy charging, an issue that, as we mentioned earlier, was also raised by Alexandra Sdoukou. This is an issue that, as Mr. Karamanlis pointed out, is also a concern for other European countries.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation noted that the number of publicly accessible charging stations, which stood at 58 nationwide in 2019, has now reached 1,200. «In other words, we’ve increased the number of charging stations twentyfold in just two years,» he noted, emphasizing that the agreement reached by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport with the concessionaires of the country’s major highways also contributed to this.

«Today, our country’s main road network is covered by chargers of 50 kW and above, with a density of up to 60 km,» Mr. Karamanlis emphasized, adding: «And of course, we’re not stopping here. Our goal is to have developed a network of nearly 12,000 charging points by 2025 and to reach 25,000 chargers nationwide by 2030.».

Online database and mobile app for chargers

In order to ensure the best possible utilization of the charging network and maximum convenience for users, the following is being implemented: third axis of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport’s plan: The implementation of the Registry of Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and Market Entities (M.Y.F.A.I.), which is expected to become fully operational in the coming months.

«The first step is to create an online database containing all the necessary information about the network of publicly accessible charging stations, such as their locations—that is, their geographic coordinates— availability, cost, and payment methods. »And the second step is that we will provide everyone interested with a special app so they can access all this information at any time from their cell phone and meet their needs,” explained Mr. Karamanlis.

Fourth axis The goal of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation’s plan for electric mobility is to modernize the services provided to users.

Mr. Karamanlis noted that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation has already taken steps, since July 2021, to issue a Joint Ministerial Decision setting forth the terms and conditions for the operation of electric vehicle repair shops. Meanwhile, procedures are also underway to establish both the qualifications required to obtain a license to practice as an electric vehicle technician, as well as the inspection points for electric vehicles at vehicle inspection centers.

At this point, Mr. Karamanlis emphasized that these initiatives also have a direct impact on the labor market. «This is because electromobility is creating a new ecosystem of specialized fields and technical services, which we expect to generate an increasing number of new jobs in the near future,» he noted.

Electric vehicles cannot be the privilege of the few

The Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation also noted that the objective reality is that the New Democracy government did not inherit anything concrete whatsoever in the field of electric mobility.

«As recently as 2019, such a critical issue wasn’t even on the agenda. The previous government, in particular, had done absolutely nothing. Despite the fact that it wanted to portray itself as «green» and environmentally friendly…,» he commented.

«On the contrary, today, our government—the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis—is already implementing green policies across a range of issues, and we place a very high priority on the so-called “green agenda,” » Mr. Karamanlis added.

He also commented that «on the other hand, perhaps because of the previous government’s handling of the issue, the prevailing perception in our country—let’s be honest—was more or less that electric vehicles are something of an unnecessary luxury. A «sport for the few.»”.

And Mr. Karamanlis concluded: «So, our response is that while electric vehicles were indeed the preserve of the few until yesterday, that is changing—and it must change. A transition that is more environmentally friendly and more economical cannot be the privilege of the few.”.

That is why, with each passing day, we are making electric vehicles more and more accessible to the general public. So that one day, electric vehicles in our country will be affordable for everyone. That is our ultimate goal. And I think the early signs indicate that we will achieve it.».