Electric car subsidies? From 2023 onwards, new (worsening!) conditions will be set for the environmental bonus in the field of electromobility

The electric mobility funding program will be more strongly focused on climate protection from January 1, 2023. From this date, funding for vehicles with plug-in hybrid drives will be discontinued and new, reduced funding rates will apply.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) has adjusted the environmental bonus with a new guideline. This focuses the funding on climate protection and ensures that budget funds are used even more effectively. The revised guideline will come into force on January 1, 2023.

From this date

• No more funding applications can be submitted for plug-in hybrid vehicles
• New reduced subsidy rates apply to battery electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles
• The minimum holding period will be increased to 12 to 24 months
• and the previous restriction that young used vehicles can only be subsidized if registered to the second owner is eliminated.

Further adjustments will follow in 2023:

• From September 1, 2023, only private individuals will be able to submit funding applications.
• From January 1, 2024, among other things, the maximum net list price up to which vehicles are eligible for funding will be reduced to 45,000 euros and the funding rates will be simplified.

Since the start of the funding program in July 2016, the electric vehicle subsidy has been applied for for approximately 1.64 million electric vehicles. Applicants can find all the information on the new funding conditions and what needs to be considered when submitting an application by December 31, 2022, on the BAFA website.

The application process has been made more user-friendly several times in recent years. For example, the automatic data exchange between the Federal Motor Transport Authority and the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) has eliminated the need to upload the vehicle registration certificate. Furthermore, applicants can easily track the status of their application on the BAFA website.

Further information can be found at: www.bafa.de/umweltbonus

For applications submitted from January 1, 2023 up to and including December 31, 2023, the federal share of the environmental bonus, including the innovation premium, as a non-repayable grant, and the manufacturer's share amount to:

ENVIRONMENTAL BONUS ONLY FOR BATTERY-POWERED ELECTRIC OR FUEL CELL VEHICLES

Environmental bonus only for battery electric cars or fuel cell vehicles in 2023 – Image: www.bafa.de

For applications submitted from January 1, 2024 up to and including December 31, 2024, the federal share of the environmental bonus, including the innovation premium, as a non-repayable grant, and the manufacturer's share are:

Environmental bonus only for battery electric cars or fuel cell vehicles in 2024 – Image: www.bafa.de

From a press release by BAFA (Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control) dated December 9, 2022

Customized solar carport solutions – Image: Xpert.Digital / non c|Shutterstock.com

More electric cars causally lead to more solar carports and more charging stations. Causality is the relationship between cause and effect. It concerns the sequence of events and states that are interrelated. Accordingly, A is the cause of effect B if B is brought about by A. Therefore, open parking lots are increasingly being recognized as decentralized power generators. This interest is sparked not only by the solar panel mandate in some German states, but also by the growing awareness of ecology and renewable energies.

Learn more here: Solar carports where standards no longer apply – The optimal solution for every challenge with solar roofing for open parking spaces

Solar carport demand is rising – Image: Xpert.Digital – stockphotofan1|Shutterstock.com

Promoting electromobility is considered key to climate-friendly mobility, which should bring Germany a step closer to EU climate neutrality by 2050.

The environmental bonus can be applied for by private individuals, companies, foundations, corporations, and associations. Only the purchase or leasing of new vehicles acquired and (first) registered on or after May 18, 2016, and which remain registered to the applicant for at least six months, are eligible for funding. In November 2019, as part of the coordinated action on mobility, it was decided to extend the environmental bonus until 2025 or until a total of €2.09 billion has been paid out. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on June 3, 2020, the parliamentary group leaders decided to double the government's share of the environmental bonus for electric vehicles as an innovation premium.

In its 2008 "National Development Plan for Electromobility," the German Federal Government set the goal of having one million electric vehicles on German roads by 2020. The automotive industry, so important to the German economy, was also to play a key role in this, maintaining and further expanding its strong position in the global economy.

More information here: Solar carport demand is rising, also thanks to the environmental bonus for promoting electric cars.