Government electric car purchase subsidy: 52,473 applications approved by September

Image: Tesla (illustrative)

The Federal Office for Economics and Export Control (Bafa) has approved 52,473 applications for the government subsidy on electric cars as of September 1. The total amount of funding provided amounts to around 230 million euros, according to the Zeit newspaper. Applications for this subsidy have been possible since May 19 and apply retroactively to vehicles registered starting from January 1.

In terms of approved applications, Volkswagen leads with 11,680 applications, followed by the U.S. electric car manufacturer Tesla with 8,141 vehicles. The majority of applications were submitted by households with an annual income of up to 45,000 euros.

The subsidy amount varies depending on the car model, household size, and income, ranging from 1500 to 6000 euros. In addition to pure electric vehicles, certain plug-in hybrids as well as electric cars with a compact combustion engine acting as a power generator are also eligible for subsidies. Households with an annual taxable income of up to 80,000 euros are eligible for the subsidy. The income threshold increases by 5000 euros per child, up to a maximum of 90,000 euros. There is also an additional 500 euros for each of up to two children.

To fund the electric vehicle subsidy, the federal government has access to a total of three billion euros from the Climate and Transformation Fund by 2029. Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) expects that the purchase of around 800,000 vehicles can be supported in total.

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Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with professional experience in the automotive industry and finance sector. Since 2011, he has been covering electric vehicles, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions for ecomento.de. Learn more.

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