Subsidy for electric vehicles and e-bikes
The national objective set by the Greek government is that, by 2030, 1 in 3 vehicles in operation should be electric vehicles.
To convince country’s drivers to acquire an electric vehicle, the state subsidy program "Move Electric" was set up. The beneficiaries of the practice are individuals, legal entities and professionals.
The subsidies for the acquisition of an electric vehicle through the initiative are: 1) Cars: up to 6,000 euros 15%-20% for Retail Price. Optional withdrawal of an old vehicle 1,000 euros. Optional purchase of "smart" home charger 500 euros, 2) Electric bike, tricycle: up to 800 euros, 20%-40% on the Value of the vehicle; Optional Withdrawal of an old vehicle 400 euros; 3) Taxis: Up to 8,000 euros, 25% for Retail Price before Taxes up to 50,000 euros, Mandatory withdrawal of an old vehicle 2,500 euros.
Resources needed
100 million euros from the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
Evidence of success
In one month of operation, 5,000 applications were applied and 10% of available resources were received (4.5 million euros). In other words, an average of 400 applications were submitted per day. 77% of the applications concerned E-bikes which is also a cultural change of travel. The number of electric cars registered in two weeks was 67% of the electric cars sold in the last 4 years. Finally, through this action, 625 old polluting vehicles have been withdrawn.
Potential for learning or transfer
About 15,000 cars and 12,500 two-wheelers (e-scooters and bicycles) will be subsidized, while the program will be strengthened with additional resources from the Recovery Fund. The participation of the islands in the scheme reaches 20% of the vehicles subsidized and, while Greek islands heavily rely on fossil fuels for transportation and heat, this scheme seems capable to disrupt this reliance, at least as far as road transport concerns. This will reinforce local SMEs competitiveness in the transport sector, such as car-rental companies, buses, taxis, hotel/airport/maritime passenger transfer services etc., to adjust to this new situation by bringing improved services and products to their customers. Innovative SMEs, as well as start-ups are also expected to penetrate the market with new products relevant to electromobility, such as business & home charging station providers etc.
Tags: Electric, Environment, Green, Islands, Mobility, Support
