A subsidy is only available for the purchase of electric cars.
Picture: dpa
Contrary to what is required, the automotive industry does not receive any premiums for combustion engines. The big manufacturers and suppliers can take it. But what happens to the smaller suppliers?
After controversial discussion, the Federal government car purchase premiums are limited to electric vehicles. When buying new diesel and petrol cars, drivers can therefore not count on subsidies – at most with discounts from the manufacturers and a reduction due to the reduced VAT. The program therefore falls short of the hopes of many drivers and the automotive industry. They had been supported by the Union ministers as well as the prime ministers of Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg, but they could not prevail against the SPD, which refused to promote combustion. Greens and environmental groups approved the concentration on e-mobility on Thursday.
The government wants to encourage the purchase of electric cars with a net list price of up to 40,000 euros for a limited time until the end of 2021 with an “innovation premium” of 6,000 euros. This doubles the previous “environmental premium”. There should also be funding from the manufacturers. The premium also subsidizes the purchase of plug-in hybrids whose carbon footprint is not convincing unless they are predominantly electric. The federal government puts the financial needs for the premium at 2.2 billion euros. In addition to the industry, 2 billion euros will be added for a “bonus program”, with which “future investments” of manufacturers and suppliers are promoted in new technologies, processes and systems. The government plans to invest a further 2.5 billion euros in the expansion of the charging infrastructure and research funding Electromobility and battery cell production.