Greece introduces purchase subsidy for electric vehicles

The Greek government has announced extensive subsidies to foster electric mobility in the country. The goal is for every third vehicle to be electric by 2030 as the country introduces purchase premiums as well as furthering charging infrastructure.

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In the first phase, Greece holds a 100-million-euro budget for purchase premiums over a period of 18 months. Specifically, electric cars and light commercial vehicles will be subsidised with 15% of the purchase price. In the case of electric taxis, the state will even cover 25% of the costs. Together with tax breaks, electric cars are to become up to 10,000 euros cheaper, while electric two-wheelers will also be subsidised. Electric cars will be exempt from parking fees for two years. According to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the plan also stipulates that “every new building should have the infrastructure to charge electric vehicles”.

The e-Mobility measures are part of a ten-year climate protection plan that the government has now announced. In addition to electric cars, motorcycles and bicycles are also to be promoted. According to a report by the Reuters news agency, the proportion of electric cars in Greece is currently only 0.3 per cent.

The plan also provides for the establishment of charging stations throughout the country. The Greek energy supplier PPC, together with private companies, is to install 1,000 charging stations throughout Greece in the next two to three years, and in the medium term another 10,000 charging stations. Two Memorandums of Understanding have already been signed for this purpose, which, according to a Greek specialist news site, are “probably to be announced soon”. However, there are still no details on the expansion of the charging infrastructure.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis also announced that a Greek island is to become a pioneer in a model project. The as-yet-unnamed island is to run exclusively with electric vehicles.

Update 30 July 2020: Greece’s e-Mobility subsidy programme announced in June is now becoming concrete: On 24 August a platform will be launched online where subsidies can be applied for.

More details have also been revealed about subsidies for electric vehicles: Subsidies will be available for electric vehicles purchased from 7 August onwards with up to 6,000 euros per vehicle, but only up to a list price of 50,000 euros. “Up to 6,000 euros” is an important formulation here: 20 per cent will be subsidised up to a purchase price of 30,000 euros, and 15 per cent for vehicles with a price of up to 50,000 euros. This amounts to 6,000 euros for the respective maximum sum, but the subsidy is somewhat lower for a lower price. An additional €1,000 is available for scrapping an old combustion engine and 500 euros for installing a charging station. Used cars are excluded from the promotion.

The subsidy programme runs until the end of 2021 with a budget of 100 million euros. Development Minister Kostis Hatzidakis estimated that upon completion, on 31 December 2021, the program will have subsidised 15,000 private cars and taxis and 12,500 motorcycles and bicycles, thereby benefiting some 27,500 people. The government has already made plans to provide additional funds from the EU reconstruction fund “Next Generation EU”, should the first budget be prematurely exhausted.

reuters.com, protothema.gr, kathimerini.gr (in Greek), energypress.eu (charging stations), ekathimerini.com (update)