In today’s episode of Regulation Without Infrastructure, a parliamentary question has been submitted to the Minister of Maritime Affairs regarding the thrilling national crisis of…
Electric cars boarding ferries with more than 40% battery.
Yes. Forty percent.
Not 41. Not 60. Certainly not 100.
Because nothing says “energy transition” like: “Please go green, but only halfway.”
The Rule
According to a Ministry circular from April 2024, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles transported on passenger ferries must not exceed 40% charge.
Why? Unclear.
Is there binding EU legislation? Apparently not. Is there a specific technical justification for each vessel? Not really. Is there a comprehensive legislative framework? Also no. But there is… a circular.
And in Greece, a circular can live a long and mysterious life.
The Problem Nobody Thought Through
Let us imagine a tourist:
- Drives from Athens to Piraeus.
- Carefully drains their battery to 39%.
- Boards ferry to Crete.
- Arrives in Heraklion.
- Look for charging stations.
- Discovers: limited network.
Congratulations. You are now environmentally progressive and operationally stranded.
Because if the state restricts battery levels but does not guarantee adequate island charging infrastructure, what exactly are we encouraging?
Green mobility?
Or maritime anxiety?
The Parliamentary Poetry
The intervention speaks of:
- Legislative gaps
- Inequality of treatment
- Proportionality principles
- Horizontal imposition without individualized technical assessment
In plain language:
If you are going to restrict something, you might want evidence, consistency, and an alternative plan.
Revolutionary concept.
The Core Absurdity
We are:
- Encouraging electric vehicles
- Subsidizing them
- Promoting green transition
And simultaneously telling ferry passengers:
“Arrive slightly depleted.”
It is a policy that feels like someone discovered lithium-ion batteries on a Tuesday and panicked on Wednesday.
The Two Questions Now Hanging in the Air
- Will the Ministry reconsider the circular before tourist season?
- Or will it finally introduce a proper, binding legislative framework instead of regulating through non-binding circular memos?
Translation: Are we improvising? Or are we governing?
What This Really Reveals
This is not about 40%, but about coordination.
Energy policy, transport safety, island infrastructure, and tourism cannot operate in separate silos. Crete cannot be expected to welcome electric vehicles while simultaneously rationing their operational viability.
If there are safety concerns, publish the technical data. If risk assessments justify limits, explain them transparently. If infrastructure is lacking, invest in it before imposing restrictions.
Otherwise, we are left with the most Greek of policy outcomes: ambitious vision and circular execution.
