Greek gov't aims for one in three new vehicles to be electric by 2030
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E-mail Xinhua, June 6, 2020
ATHENS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- To mark World Environment Day on Friday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis presented the government's plan for promoting electromobility, and the target is for one in three new vehicles in the country to be electric by 2030.
"Currently in our country, the share of electric vehicles barely exceeds 0.3 percent. A land with so good green energy potential has a limited penetration of electromobility," he said.
"The national electromobility development plan is one of the main pillars of our environmental policy aimed at replacing polluting fuels," Mitsotakis explained, according to press release e-mailed by his office.
"Even today, our national goal is less ambitious than the targets of other countries: one in three new vehicles in Greece to be electric by 2030," he said, adding that he hoped that Greek citizens will embrace the plan so that the government can set more ambitious targets soon.
Under the plan, the state would offer financial incentives to companies and individuals to switch to electric vehicles, which would cover about 25 percent of the cost for about 14,000 new electric cars, Mitsotakis said.
Combined with tax exemptions, the total benefit per vehicle would be around 10,000 euros (11,310 U.S. dollars), he said.
The funds allocated for this purpose would reach 100 million euros over a period of 18 months, he added.
Electric cars would also be exempt from parking fees for two years and charging costs would be deductible from taxable income, the Greek leader said.
Financial incentives would also be provided for the installation of charging points and the purchase of electric motorbikes and bicycles.
The government also aims to increase the number of electric buses on Greek roads.
In an upcoming tender for new buses to be used in public transportation in Athens and Thessaloniki, a significant percentage would have to be electric vehicles, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis said.
To facilitate coordination between the central government, the local administrations and the market, two ministries and 19 agencies signed a so-called "green agreement" on Friday pledging to implement the plan as soon as possible. (1 euro = 1.13 U.S. dollars) Enditem
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