The Ecomobility at the Forefront of Green Development | The New Bill

The new Ecomobility Bill will implement the first and most difficult step for technology spread

State actors, industry representatives and automotive experts analyzed the different parameters of the new bill on ecomobility, during the Virtual Discussion organized by the Hellenic Association for Energy Economics. Common ground was the fact that the bill is quite ambitious and covers a lot of aspects, targeting at the wide acceptance of this new technology. 

Spyros Papaefthimiou: The new bill is a decisive start for ecomobility

Initially, HAEE’s President, SpirosPapaefthimiou, noted that “ecomobility starts decisively”. HAEE has been dealing with this topic for the last 5 years, organizing the annual Ecomobility Conference since 2018 with wide participation of actors. HAEE’s endeavors peaked with the organization of Eco-Fest 2020 last January, at Technopolis, in Athens, a 3-day event focusing on ecomobility and smart cities. Finally, the big step was made by the Government last Friday, on June 5^th, with the presentation of the new bill at the same venue.

HAEE’s President highlighted that ecomobility is also foreseen in EC’s Green Deal. “If we speak of decarbonization, RES etc., the transport sector is essential, since fossil fuels are dominant. The new bill is bold and comprehensive. Greece approaches the level where other countries have already reached, such as Norway”.

Mr. Papaefthimiou also mentioned that “air pollution kills thousands of people every year in our country. For this reason, we need a new generation of vehicles that will no longer depend on fossil fuels. The new bill touches all sectors that our country needs to develop in the next decade, while the activation of Municipalities’ role is equally important”. 

Alexandra Sdoukou: Ecomobility will be a hot topic from now on

The General Secretary of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy, Ms. Alexandra Sdoukou, underlined that the topic of ecomobility will remain in the agenda for the years to come. “Last Friday we presented the package of measures. For us, ecomobility is not only a program of replacing old cars, but it concerns emissions reduction, sustainable and green cities, public health protection, quality of life improvement, development and innovation. It’s a new way of life that we visualized 2 years ago and today it is being implemented. In order to reach ESEK targets, we need a holistic plan for ecomobility. We set high goals, aiming at 1 electric vehicle out of 3 new ones by 2030, an ambitious, yet necessary and realistic goal”. 

Ms. Sdoukou added that deliberations on the bill will begin by the end of this week, while ideally, the Government would like to pass the law until the end of June or mid July, followed by the launch of the platform “move electrically” with all the relative subsidies.

Regarding the financial incentives of “move electrically”, Ms. Sdoukou mentioned: “We subsidize the purchase and leasing of e-vehicles with €100 mil. for the rest of 2020 and 2021. The money comes from the emissions fund and it’s only the beginning, because I am sure that additional resources will come and this specific activity will carry on. For example, the Commission’s recovery fund supports ecomobility. Subsidies refer to natural persons, corporate vehicles, taxis, e-bicycles and e-scooters. There is a maximum amount of €5.500 for e-vehicle purchase from natural persons and companies and €1.000 more for withdrawal of old vehicles. An additional €500 subsidy is given to natural persons for buying an e-charger, while companies are given the possibility of buying or leasing up to 3 vehicles. We are also interested in bicycles, for which subsidy reaches 40% of their value and up to €800, and also scooters, offering a percentage of 20% and up to €800, targeting at couriers. For islands, we double the number of vehicles that a company can buy or lease (up to 6 vehicles in total). Taxis are also significant, since the fleet is obsolete, and therefore, we offer €10.500 for the replacement of the first 1.000 taxis”.

The General Secretary added that the new bill has a holistic approach, since it includes many aspects, such as the e-chargers. A major step towards this direction is the placement of charging points and specific parking places by the municipalities within their administrative borders. “We have set a strict timeline, so that the infrastructure development can begin right after. A crucial issue is the compulsory installation of chargers in all new buildings”. 

At the same time, Ms. Sdoukou noted that “along with the Ministry of Finance, we tried to boost Greek economy, especially in the lignite areas. We asked for taxation and development incentives for the development of production lines for batteries, chargers and components. We managed to achieve this and now we have created a framework for attracting high-tech investments and new jobs”.

Concerning public transportation, she stated that “we have 2 pilot e-buses to test them in Greek conditions. These buses have different specifications for cold and warm climates”.

Andreas Halbes: Technology moves forward in favor of ecomobility

Andreas Halbes, Director of Sales & Marketing Skoda &E Bikes Activity at Κοsmocar, noted that “the bill is comprehensive and has tangible targets for 2030. The most challenging part is the present market stagnation. If we reach the most immediate targets, then we will achieve those of 2030. Technology will give us shorter charging times and advanced autonomy, while the purchase cost will drop significantly”.

Regarding our company’s initiatives, he mentioned that “we announced our activities on e-bikes. The sales have risen by 40% globally. Subsidies in e-bikes also bring benefits to our health system. Therefore, we deal with smart subsidies with very positive outcomes”.

Mr. Halbes added that the car industry invests in ecomobility, since all manufacturers have a wide range of vehicles that will be increased in the next years. VW aims at new production platforms, where energy will be supplied by renewables”.

Kostas Stefanis: We should respect the charging positions when they are installed

Finally, Mr. Kostas Stefanis, Journalist and Presenter of "Traction" TV show, noted that ecomobility has entered our lives in the last 2-3 years. “These cars have been significantly evolved and will be further evolved regarding energy storage and charging times. From our side, we should respect the charging positions, when their installation is complete”.