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Greek Island Shows The World What A Green Future Looks Like
Jun. 05, 2022 7:52 PM ET by Chase Bierenkoven Electric Vehicles / 2 Comments With help from VW and the ID. Buzz. Volkswagen is going to use the new Volkswagen ID. Buzz for what it does best: haul people. The Greek government and Volkswagen have partnered to make the Greek island of Astypalea a little cleaner. VW says that the island " will become a research lab for the mobility of the future - sustainable and digital." Both VW and the Greek government want to use the small island, home to only 1,400 people, to demonstrate that C02-neutral mobility is really possible. VW says the creation of a sustainable mobility system is one of the project's main goals. A year ago, VW supplied the local police with a handful of Volkswagen ID. 4 EVs and the ID. Buzz will now go on to serve both the island's inhabitants and the tourists that flock here. Two years before that, the idea was only a rendering. Now, it's slowly becoming a reality. Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen Back to the people-hauling. The new ID. Buzz vans will be used as part of a larger fleet, called "astyGO." Along with the Buzz vans, which will be used for Uber-like ridesharing, visitors and residents will be able to rent a number of clean mobility solutions. That includes VW's e-up!, ID. 3, and ID. 4, as well as e-bikes and scooters. In short, VW will effectively make much of the small island's public transport infrastructure carbon neutral. That's a good thing, too. Those 1,400 inhabitants aren't the only people who set foot on the Aegean island. Annually, roughly 36,000 tourists flock to Astypalea. VW says this makes the island an ideal place to test the program. Not only will residents use the astyGO services, but tourists are sure to make use of the multitude of last-mile services offered under the program. Volkswagen Volkswagen CarBuzz CarBuzz The locals seem pretty excited about it, too. "They don't know how the system works, yet, because we have never had anything like this. However, I'm sure that they will love it after a while," says mayor Nikolaos Komineas. "I would have never thought that something this innovative would make its way to Astypalea. I'm sure I will use it a lot, because I don't own a car or motorbike. This will allow me to see my friends or go to work," says the 25-year-old Athanasia Sismani, a resident of Astypalea. The island itself is only around 11 miles long and 8 miles wide. Athanasia surely isn't the only resident of the small island that doesn't usually need a car to get around. Again, VW says this is ideal for testing the program's effectiveness. Volkswagen already has the needed infrastructure to support the program, with 20 public charging points already on the island. They're even going to get a new ambulance based on the e-Crafter, a Euro-only VW van. VW says services will be made available "just in time for the start of the new holiday season." Volkswagen CarBuzz Volkswagen Volkswagen Join The Discussion
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Volkswagen ID.Buzz Volkswagen ID.4 Chase Bierenkoven Associate Editor Shortly before applying to law school, Chase decided to take a chance on pursuing his dream job: playing with cars and getting paid for it. Law school was just a means to an end, after all. His first writing job was freelance and barely paid his grocery bill. It quickly turned into a full-time position, eventually leading Chase to join CarBuzz in 2022. Chase now tests cars, and sits comfortably at the news desk when he's not in the driver's seat. In his spare time, Chase can be heard trying to play guitar, or out enjoying Colorado's natural splendor in his BMW M3. Contact Chase @bierenkoven @cbier823 LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top