Germany to dish out electric truck subsidies

Both battery-powered and fuel cell-powered electric vehicles are eligible, as long as they are intended for goods transport. In addition, their gross vehicle weight must be at least 7.5 tonnes.

Technology consulting company IDTechEx said that trucks on the road are often ten or more years old, which means that most of those we see on the road do not yet comply with the newest emissions regulations.

“Even environmentally aware countries, like Germany, still have a negligible proportion of electric trucks and vans on its roads, while other places, like Italy, have a sizeable proportion of delivery vans powered by natural gas, which is less pollutant than diesel, but still a source of GHG,” said Dr Lorenzo Grande, senior analyst, IDTechEx.

Opportunities

The subsidies amount to €12,000 for e-trucks up to 12 tonnes and €40,000 for e-trucks over 12 tonnes. Grants are limited to €500,000 per company. In 2018, €10 million will be available within the programme.

IDTechEx has recently published a new market report on electric trucks and vans titled “Electric Trucks and Delivery Vans 2018-2028”, which outlines all the main innovations being carried out in the sector, as well as push and pull factors like growing diesel bans and lowering total cost of ownership for electric commercial vehicles.

In an upcoming free webinar, Dr Grande will also give an overview on the opportunities and challenges related to the goods transportation industry and how stakeholders can contribute to fleet electrification.

More information from www.IDTechEx.com/webinars and www.IDTechEx.com/truck