Germany to introduce stricter requirements for plug-in hybrid subsidies
dpa
The government鈥檚 new eligibility requirements will make it harder for people to access a government subsidy on the purchase of a plug-in hybrid car, news agency聽. The new draft law by the energy ministry (BMWi) significantly increases support payments to e-car buyersr, but plug-in hybrids will only be eligible for subsidies if they have a longer range when driving in purely electric mode (over 60 km as of October 2022 and over 80 km as of 2024). Plug-in hybrids combine an electric drive with a combustion engine and under the current rules must either meet a certain CO2聽emission value or have a minimum electric range. Climate activists have criticised the subsidies for plug-in hybrid vehicles, because many are driven almost exclusively in combustion-engine mode.
The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and the Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (VDIK) warned that the ramp-up of electromobility could be slowed down by the stricter requirements, dpa reports. VDIK president Reinhard Zirpel said the new rules would mean that about 50 percent of the plug-in hybrids sold by VDIK members would no longer be eligible for subsidies.
In the first half of 2021, the government subsidised more than 270,000 vehicles with the buyers鈥� premium and paid out around聽1.32 billion euros.听罢丑别听聽amounts to 9,000 euros for purely electric cars (鈧�6,750 for plug-in hybrids) with a list price of under 40,000 euros and 7,500 euros (鈧�5,625) for more expensive models. The scheme 鈥� with the new rules for plug-in hybrids 鈥� is to be extended till 2025.
