The Federal Government has agreed on the draft of the new environmental bonus directive, which regulates the purchase premium for electric cars. According to the draft, the subsidy will be reduced starting in 2023. Plug-in hybrids will drop out of the subsidy completely. There will also continue to be no customer-friendly option for reserving the bonus at the time of purchase.
Reinhard Zirpel, President of the Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (VDIK), warns against implementing the changes as planned: “The state is promoting electric cars so that the transport sector can also achieve the ambitious climate targets decided by the German Bundestag. With the planned cuts, the federal government risks that the electric car market will lose momentum again in the coming months and years.”
The German government also wants to cap the remaining subsidy amount at 3.4 billion euros and not reintroduce the two-stage application process that was common until a few years ago. The customer therefore does not know at the time of purchase whether he will receive the subsidy. Zirpel continues: “The result is a subsidy on a first-come, first-served basis, which means the opposite of planning security. We fear that many buyers will react to this uncertainty and forgo the purchase of a zero-emission vehicle. The coalition partners should reconsider their decision and at least introduce an application procedure that is predictable for the customer.”
