Despite the government’s unwillingness to adjust to new environmental challenges, the Greek army has decided to turn to electric vehicles as part of a wider greening plan. EURACTIV Greece reports.
In Greece, electrification is still in its early stages, with fragmented initiatives by various institutions remaining at a pilot level.
The country is currently lagging behind due to a number of reasons. Firstly, it does not apply the directive related to electric vehicles, and there is no national action plan for electrification or tax incentive.
In addition, there is no public charging infrastructure in place and successive governments have so far failed to receive EU funds for electric transport.
It is also one of the few member states that has not benefited from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) initiative to finance electrification infrastructure.
A general planning
Although electromobility is a terra incognita in Greece, particularly in the public sector, the Hellenic Army took a courageous step in pursuing it.
The military recently purchased two electric cars which will be used on a pilot basis as part of a wider plan by the Ministry of National Defense to protect the environment, by reducing its energy footprint and operating costs, the military recently emphasised.
Contacted by EURACTIV.gr, the Hellenic Army’s Press Office highlighted that there was general planning not only limited to electrification but to other fields as well, such as the introduction of an energy management system which resulted in a 46% energy saving compared to 2011.
Moreover, it is planning to electrify small islands with renewable energy sources through the use of wind turbines as well as impose a target of 2010% reduction in electricity consumption compared to 2016.
A Greek military spokesman pointed out that electrification would be combined with the trial implementation of smart grids, in a small capacity, for the real-time production, distribution and management of electricity.
Source: http://bit.ly/2u8kQ7E
