Holiday-goers traveling on Christmas Day from the ski slopes of Mt. Parnassos and tavernas in the village of Livadi to the eponymous resort town of Arachova endured an hours-long traffic jam.
While Greek Police pointed to stalled electric vehicles (EVs), the real “culprits”, according to reports, were long-standing issues involving inadequate infrastructure and visitor management, as well as a need for travelers to fully respect both the beauty and risks of nature.

The Incident

Chaos unfolded on the road from Livadi to Arachova on the evening of Christmas Day when traffic came to a standstill.

An image below shows the back-up of traffic leaving Livadi and heading up a steep icy and snowy hill, before vehicles descend down a windy road to Arachova.

Social media and mainstream news were rife with speculation about the cause, as observers at the scene saw vehicles stopped in traffic, while others tried to put on snow chains or covers while in the middle of the shoulder-less road. Some frustrated drivers tried to pass cars and headed into oncoming traffic while plows were stuck on the side of the road, unable to clear away snow.

Myths and Realities of EVs in Cold Conditions

In an effort to debunk some of the “myths” swirling around the adequacy of electric vehicles to operate in frigid weather, OT.gr interviewed Apostolos Chouliaras, the marketing director for electric mobility at PPC Blue, who explains that EVs operate efficiently in temperatures as low as -20°C. In the case of Arachova the temperature was hovering at around 0°C, so he says the cold was not a factor.

EVs also give drivers multiple warnings before batteries are fully depleted, says Chouliaras, so a failure to charge the battery is a problem with the driver, not the vehicle.

OT also pointed out that countries in northern Europe prove that EVs can thrive in colder climates with proper infrastructure. In Norway, where temperatures are often below freezing, EVs make up 25% of vehicles on the road, supported by a prolific network of high-voltage chargers, according to OT.gr.

A post on X, seen below, echoes the sentiment and the importance of EV drivers knowing their cars, stating that “A Swede with the same car would have made it to Arachova without a problem.”

The Real Issue? Infrastructure, Visitor Management, and Respect for Mother Nature

The Arachova region, a popular winter holiday destination, has an insufficient number of charging stations to accommodate the growing number of EV cars during the busy winter season.

Although some tavernas and other establishments along the Livadi-Arachova route offer charging facilities, they are often non-functional or incompatible with all vehicles, and reflect private initiatives as opposed to a strategic approach to infrastructure development.

An EV charger as seen at a traditional restaurant on the road from Arachova to Parnassos ski center.

Compounding the issue, many EV drivers in Greece are unfamiliar with how the cold weather affects their vehicle’s range, leading to inadequate planning.

One driver told To Vima International, “Under normal conditions, my battery would have made it to Arachova. But we were stuck in traffic for over an hour, running the heat, so we had to get off the road and wait in line at a taverna to recharge. And the charging station was very slow.”

Beyond EV-specific issues, the most recent incident highlights broader problems with the region’s infrastructure, visitor management and visitors’ behaviors.

  • Infrastructure: The two-lane road from Arachova to Parnassos lacks a shoulder and frequent areas where drivers can pull-off to put on snow chains. In some places, the two-lane road even narrows to a single lane. The region also needs a pedestrian and bike lane to ensure the safety of visitors looking to experience the outdoors.
  • Need for Better Visitor Management: Arachova is the main village before Greece’s top ski resort, public parking that fails to meet demand during the busy season. A regularly running ‘ski bus’ that can take visitors en masse up and down the mountain and to major interest points along the way- which is common in many European ski resorts- would reduce traffic and improve safety.
  • Driver Attitudes: Vehicles are required to carry snow chains, and drivers should be informed on how to put them on. Driver attitudes in this regard is improving but still has ways to go. Meanwhile, visitors, out of enthusiasm for the snow, frequently stop in the middle of the road to make a snowball or take photographs, regularly causing traffic jams even under good weather conditions.
  • Respect for Weather: Despite advance warnings of snowfall, on Christmas visitors stayed at taverns until well into the evening when the snow began falling. this resulted in simultaneous departures that hindered snowplow operations.

Picturesque but narrow road leading up to Parnassos ski center.

The Arachova incident underscores the need for better EV infrastructure and driver education to ensure smooth operation in extreme weather conditions, but even more so, it accentuates the need to upgrade infrastructure, to improve the organization of services for visitors, and for visitors to take better heed of extreme weather warnings.