Transport and Covid-19: responses and resources

Advancing Sustainable Mobility in Greece: Promoting electric vehicle uptake and SUMPs

Night view of Athens with the Acropolis
This project supports Greece in developing a sustainable transport sector and cleaner mobility. Specifically, it aims to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles and the adoption of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs).

By 2030, at least 30 million zero-emission cars should operate on European roads, and 100 European cities should be climate neutral. This project will help to make these objectives, set out in the European Commission’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, a reality in Greece.

Greece has one of the oldest car fleets in Europe, with vehicles’ age averaging 16 years. The uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) is still very low: in 2020, they accounted for only 2.6% of new car sales, compared with the European Union (EU) average of 10.5%. The project identifies actions to boost the use of EVs and develop charging infrastructure, the lack of which is hampering their uptake. 

The project also supports Greece’s national and local authorities in implementing SUMPs, which are required by recent national legislation based on EU guidelines. Around one hundred Greek municipalities are currently elaborating such plans. The national government wishes to support them in defining sustainable urban mobility measures that reflect their geographical and socio-economic characteristics.

The project treats both aspects in distinct work streams. The work stream on zero-emission vehicles reviews best practices in the EU, using ITF quantitative modelling to develop policy recommendations for accelerating EV adoption in Greece, including the expansion of charging infrastructure. The second work stream on SUMPs uses a benchmarking exercise and stakeholder consultations to create a decision-making tool that will help local authorities to select the SUMP measures best suited for them. The tool will list policy options for different types of urban areas, their expected impacts and estimated cost. A monitoring system to evaluate the effect of SUMPs will also be defined.

The European Union funds the work via the Technical Support Instrument in co-operation with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support. It is implemented by the International Transport Forum in collaboration with the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Hellenic Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The official project title is “Recharge and Refuel: Clean, Smart and Fair Urban Mobility”.