Electric mobility is literally climbing Mount Troodos, as the way has been cleared for the installation of 58 charging points across 57 mountain communities. A tender for the installation of these 58 points was announced by the Research and Development Institute for Mediterranean Mountain Areas. The process was temporarily halted when a losing company filed an appeal with the Review Body, seeking “Interim Measures” to stop the proceedings. The appeal was ultimately withdrawn, allowing the project to move forward.
The tender covers the “supply and installation of equipment for 58 electric vehicle charging stations in 57 villages in the wider Troodos area, as well as the supply, installation, technical support, and management of their operating software, including user training.”
The installation of these 58 points will provide residents of the 57 communities with access to the area and allow travellers to charge their electric vehicles if needed, mitigating the risk of being stranded.
Government’s 1,000-Point Plan
The government has announced a broader plan to install 1,000 electric vehicle charging points nationwide. The incentives provided under this scheme take the form of financial support for charging points installed publicly by local authorities, private businesses, organisations, and other operators.
These points will be located in parking areas for public use, municipal and community car parks, private car parks, and petrol stations. The scheme is planned to be implemented in two phases, with a budget of €3.7 million.
EV Registrations: Growth from 0.7% to 4.5%
As previously reported by Phileleftheros, out of the 203,000 vehicles of all types registered between 2020 and 2024, only 4,859 were electric. Specifically for saloon cars, only 3,234 out of 159,078 registered in the same period were electric.
It is noted that there are over 700,000 cars plus approximately 61,000 motorcycles in Cyprus. The market for new vehicle registrations (electric and non-electric) over the last five years shows a clear trend of accelerating adoption of EVs.
In 2020, only 270 electric vehicles were registered out of a total of 39,367 vehicles of all types registered that year. Based on these figures, electric vehicles accounted for just 0.7% of the total. Specifically for saloon vehicles, only 78 electric units were registered out of 30,828 total saloons, resulting in a low proportion of 0.3%. Electric motorcycles fared better, with 436 registered out of 3,225 total, reaching 6%.
In 2021, 308 electric vehicles were registered out of a total of 34,716 across all categories, with the percentage of EVs remaining below one unit at 0.9%. For saloon cars, 120 electric units were registered against 26,636 total saloons. Electric motorcycles saw 431 registrations out of 3,549 total, limiting their percentage to 5%.
In 2022, the number of registered electric vehicles more than doubled compared to 2021, rising from 308 to 739 out of a total of 33,795 vehicles. Their percentage also more than doubled, reaching 2.2%. For saloon cars, 512 electric units were registered out of 26,508 total saloons, making the EV proportion 1.9%. Electric motorcycles reached 7% of the total, with 436 registered out of 2,842.
In 2023, for the first time, the number of registered electric vehicles exceeded 1,000, with 1,322 registered out of a total of 45,494 vehicles. The percentage of electric vehicles increased to 2.9%. Specifically for saloon cars, electric units reached 995 out of 36,608 total saloons, corresponding to 2.8%. Electric motorcycles registered were 594 out of 3,640, with their proportion reaching 7.5%.
Finally, in 2024, the number of registered electric vehicles amounted to 2,220 out of a total of 49,616. Based on this data, the percentage of electric vehicles rose to 4.5%. For saloon registrations, electric units reached 1,529 out of 38,410 total saloons, achieving a proportion of 4%. Electric motorcycles more than doubled to 1,338 out of 4,593 total, with their percentage reaching 14%.
The increase in electric vehicle registrations is noted to have begun with the launch of the Electro-mobility Promotion Scheme.