In Germany, most of the cars currently on offer with plug-in hybrid drives (PHEV) will no longer be paid a purchase premium: only “plug-ins” with a minimum electric range of 60 kilometers are to be subsidized. Only a few can do that at the moment.
However, customers still have more than a year to buy a vehicle under the old conditions; the new regulation is not expected to apply until October 2022. From January 1, 2024, 80 kilometers will be required. So far, a WLTP range of 40 kilometers with an electric drive or maximum CO2 emissions of 50 grams per kilometer has been sufficient. There is currently 6750 euros (with a net base price of up to 40,000 euros) or 5625 euros (base price over 40,000 to 65,000 euros) funding.
One of the few vehicles with sufficient range is the Mercedes GLE 350de, which is supposed to travel 106 kilometers on one battery charge.
In principle, the state e-car purchase premium will be extended until the end of 2025, so far it is limited to the end of 2021. Last summer, the existing purchase premium (environmental bonus) was increased through an “innovation premium” – Germany had doubled its funding for the purchase of an electric vehicle. Since then, new registrations of e-cars have risen sharply.
Many PHEVs are not or hardly charged
The ADAC welcomed the stricter requirements for plug-in hybrid vehicles as a prerequisite for funding. The higher ranges in purely electric operation should only be a first step, said a spokeswoman. “Plug-in hybrids, which are also seen as an entry point into electromobility, can help to protect the climate in traffic if they are driven electrically as much as possible.” However, the data available so far indicate that, especially in commercial use, there is still significant There is potential for a higher proportion of electric driving. In other words: they are charged too seldom. For this reason, parts of the subsidy in the context of company car taxation should be linked to a high proportion of electric journeys.
In Austria, a minimum electric range of 50 kilometers is required in order to receive the subsidy of 2750 euros. However, almost all PHEVs benefit from the NoVA exemption.