Traffic: ADAC warns of a funding gap for electric car premiums

The ADAC has warned of a funding gap in the significantly higher government purchase premium for electric cars.

The new funding guideline for the extension of the “innovation premium”, which serves as the legal basis, is still pending, said ADAC traffic president Gerhard Hillebrand to the newspapers of the Funke media group. So many consumers could wait in vain for funding of up to 3000 euros.

He called for the innovation bonus to be extended for half a year until mid-2022. Time is of the essence because the funding line still has to be ratified by the EU Commission.

The federal government still in office had decided that the significantly higher state e-car purchase premium should be extended until the end of 2025. So far it is limited to the end of 2021. Over a year ago, the existing purchase premium (environmental bonus) was increased through an “innovation premium” – the federal government had doubled its funding for the purchase of an electric vehicle. Since then, new registrations of e-cars have risen sharply.

The Federal Ministry of Economics stated that the change in the funding guidelines had been given to the ministerial coordination – this is currently ongoing. Plans by the Ministry of Economic Affairs include guidelines for funding plug-in hybrids that combine an electric drive with a combustion engine. Specifically, there should be a higher, purely electrical minimum range.

The future promotion of e-cars should also play a role in the coalition negotiations between the SPD, Greens and FDP. FDP boss Christian Lindner had questioned the support for hybrid cars in the “Rheinische Post”. He had said: “For example, we are spending one billion euros in subsidies for plug-in vehicles that have no secure ecological benefit.”