Karousos: EV charging stations promote green and sustainable cities

An electric vehicle charging station was inaugurated on Monday in Nicosia, as part of an ongoing effort undertaken by the government and the capital’s municipality to promote green cities and sustainability in Cyprus.

Speaking on behalf of Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos, the ministry’s General Director Yiannis Nicolaides said the government places great importance to the implementation of green projects, especially in busy Nicosia.

“We are all committed to respect the environmental obligations to the EU and reduce emissions in Cyprus,” he said.

The charging station is located on central Stasandrou Avenue, close to Ayia Eleni Street.

“Promoting green transport, both public and private, is a top priority and one of the biggest challenges we face. But our ultimate goal must be to move away from fossil fuel,” Nicolaides said.

“The promotion of electric vehicles is a complex undertaking and to this end the transport ministry has adopted a framework with strategic objectives in mind.

“First and foremost, we need to establish a legislative policy that will define an organisational structure dealing with matters concerning the green transition.”

Nicolaides, however, admitted that there is still limited interest from the public in electric vehicles. In order to invert the trend, he said the transport ministry is planning to build more charging stations in cooperation with the private sector in the upcoming months.

The government budget for electric charging stations amounts to €200,000.

Nicolaides also referred to a proposed grant scheme for the installation of 1,000 recharging points close to publicly accessible areas of Cyprus, such as municipal parking lots, hospitals, museums and post offices. The budget of the grant scheme is €790,000.

Speaking after the transport ministry’s Director General, Nicosia mayor Constantinos Yiorkadzis said that the municipality’s vision for the future aims for a cleaner and more sustainable city.

“This means minimising the city’s carbon footprint by reducing pollution and facilitating the implementation of other forms of environmentally friendly transport. Electric vehicles are a step in this direction,” he concluded.