Electric and hybrid cars: only less than 40 % battery charge on Greek ferries
Greek ferries now only take electric cars or plug-in hybrids on board if their batteries are less than 40 percent full.
Only public buses run on Astypalea in the south-eastern Aegean. They are being electrified.
(Image: heise online / Markus Feilner (CC-BY-SA 4.0))
Most Greek ferries no longer take fully charged electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on board. The ADAC car club points this out. Since April 16, 2024, a new regulation from the Greek Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy states that the traction batteries of such vehicles must not exceed a charge level of 40 percent. The ministry's regulation also applies to vehicles with petrol engines. If these are powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or natural gas (CNG), they may only be taken on board with a gas tank that is less than 50 percent full.
The Greek shipping companies Anek Lines, Minoan Lines and Superfast Ferries have included the corresponding regulation on AFVs (Alternative Fuel Vehicles) in their conditions of carriage and have also posted them on the Internet. Their employees are required to read the load levels when embarking and, according to the ADAC, do so. The regulations also provide for the battery temperature to be measured without specifying how this should be done.
Thin charging infrastructure
Travelers with electric cars in particular are faced with a conflict, as the charging infrastructure on the islands is still thin or often does not exist at all. It is therefore hardly advisable to travel with less than 30 percent charge. Travel plans should therefore include a charging stop in the port city of departure in order to get as close as possible to 40 percent. This should be possible with the necessary lead time, as most of the approximately 2000 charging stations in Greece are located in the cities and along the main travel routes.
The background to the regulation is the typical course of battery fires, which differs significantly from a vehicle fire with a conventional drive. The ferry companies and their insurers do not yet consider the ferry staff to be sufficiently capable of reacting appropriately. The lower charge level should help to reduce the risk of a fire breaking out.
(fpi)