Originally published on CleanTechnica.
€1.2 billion in funding will be put towards electric mobility in Germany, with half coming from the federal government and half from the auto industry, according to a recent decision from Germany’s political leaders.
Buyers of EVs will receive €4,000 and plug-in hybrids €3,000. There is a cap on the cost of EVs, though, which is €60,000. So, it seems this stipulation might have been designed to eliminate Tesla EVs, which currently cost more than that. Perhaps it makes sense that, if €600 million in funding is coming from the German auto industry, it would want the incentives to be for its own vehicles and not for the Tesla Model S or Model X. Notably, though, the Model 3 might be eligible, if it is launched during the period when the incentives are available.
€200 million will be for growing the fast-charging network, with €100 million for normal chargers. €100 million will also be for adding more EVs to the German federal government’s fleet, with a goal of 20% EVs (presumably, by 2020).
It is great news that Germany is expanding its charging network, because doing so obviously allows more EV drivers to have better access to electricity when they need it. Range anxiety becomes less of an issue if consumers know there are charging stations all over the place. The funding also demonstrates the country’s commitment to a greener society, which has been considerable for some time.
Germany is well known as a leader in solar and wind power, and might have been content to remain so, but it appears that is not the case. With investments like these, and with growing energy storage capacity, it seems to be embracing a full complement of cleantech opportunities.
One million EVs on the roads by 2020 is a national goal there, but the current total is nowhere near that. Angela Merkel has said government support will be needed in order for there to be a chance of reaching it. Wisely, this latest round of funding doesn’t only focus on the vehicles. Seeing new charging stations of various speeds sprout up in many areas might have some kind of persuasiveness attached to it. One detail that seems to be missing is whether or not the electricity from some of these stations will come at a lower cost or for free.
Image by Zachary Shahan | EV Obsession | CleanTechnica (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The EU Commission may not allow Germany to get away with a rule that is designed to affect Tesla disproportionately. They stopped a Danish scheme last year that would have taxed very expensive electric cars more heavily than cheaper ones, saying it was tailor-made to affect only Tesla. See https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tesla-denmark-saved-bell-esben-pedersen?forceNoSplash=true