Around 640,000 applications for funding were made in Germany in 2022 alone. This means a new record for the funds paid out – for the last time.
Shortly before Christmas 2022, the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) announced the current figures on state subsidies for electric cars. After setting a record in 2021 due to the sharply increased subsidy premium in the wake of the corona pandemic, this was surpassed again in 2022 with around 3.2 billion euros. That is around 200 million euros more than in the previous year.
7.1 billion euros were paid out
At the same time, there is also an interim report on the total number of vehicles funded since the start of the environmental bonus program in May 2016. Since that date, 1.64 million cars have been sold in Germany with more than 7.1 billion euros in subsidies. While there were fewer than 11,000 applicants in the first year of the bonus program, their number has risen steadily, and in 2022 there were more than 640,000 applications for funding.
The high sum of over three billion in funding within one year will no longer be reached in the future for several reasons. First of all, the subsidy amount from the last maximum of 6,000 euros for electric cars will be limited to a maximum of 4,500 euros. Furthermore, from January 2023, all plug-in hybrid vehicles will be completely excluded from the subsidy, regardless of their electric range. In addition, the funding will be limited in the future, 2.5 billion euros are planned for 2023.
Another change for 2023: From September, only private individuals are entitled to apply for funding. Associations, tradesmen and companies will get nothing from this point on. A look at the statistics shows that this is a high number. According to this, 814,969 applications have been submitted by companies and only 697,319 by private individuals since 2016.
The distribution of drive types among the approximately 1.64 million vehicles funded so far is in favor of electric cars (BEV). Around 930,000 BEVs were subsidized, while around 710,000 models were significantly fewer plug-in hybrid models. On the other hand, the number of funded fuel cell vehicles is very low, at just 356 since 2016. And another number: a whopping 2,200 different car models have been funded since the start of the environmental bonus in 2016. This high number results from the fact that BAFA also took into account various equipment variants.
By far the most promoted brand in Germany is VW, after that the gaps become smaller. Second and third places also go to German manufacturers, Mercedes and BMW, followed by Renault, the first import brand. Since the start of the German environmental bonus, Tesla has had 110,551 vehicles funded with taxpayers' money.We give this number because Tesla models in particular were involved in such an unintended carousel ride. In this case, after six months and good profits for the sellers, cars that were subsidized in Germany with an environmental bonus went to neighboring countries as used cars . According to a study, around 40 percent of all BEVs and PHEVs newly registered in Germany since 2018 are no longer in Germany.
In the picture gallery we show you the 50 best-selling electric cars in Germany for November 2022.
Conclusion
In the last year of the environmental bonus with up to 9,000 euros in funding (including manufacturer bonus) for electric cars, the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) takes stock. According to this, a total of 7.1 billion euros have been paid out to buyers of electric cars and plug-in hybrids since the start of the support program. For the year 2022, BAFA has calculated around 640,000 individual applications for a total funding amount of 3.2 billion euros. These two record numbers will no longer be reached in the future after the funding amount will be capped in the future, the premiums will decrease and PHEV will no longer receive funding in the future.
