Germany invests in greener commercial vehicles

Clean transport solutions get government funding to help Germany meet its climate targets 

The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, the BMVI, has announced that it will invest €6.6 billion ($A10.6 billion) by 2024 to promote commercial electromobility.

Around $A2.6 billion of its investment will be used to subsidise commercial vehicles with alternative drive systems, which will help expedite the reduction of freight emissions and allow the country to meet its emissions targets.

The government funding scheme will cover 80 per cent of the cost of the additional investment required in an alternative-drive commercial vehicle, compared to a conventional diesel offering, allowing more companies to make the transition to cleaner transport solutions.

Companies will be able to access the funds when purchasing new climate-friendly commercial vehicles of the European N1, N2 and N3 categories. This means that pick-up trucks, light commercial vehicles and goods vehicles with a maximum mass exceeding 12 tonnes are all viable options. This includes, in the German market, vehicles from companies such as DAF, Mercedes-Benz and Fuso.  

Converted N2- and N3-class vehicles will also be eligible for the subsidy, benefiting domestic companies such as Quantron – a business that converts new and used commercial vehicles to hydrogen or battery power. 

Funding will be made available for feasibility studies relating to green commercial vehicles and their associated infrastructure as well, with the government covering 50 per cent of any project-related expenditure. 

The remaining $A4 billion will be used to tackle aspects such as establishing the required charging infrastructure, for both cars and trucks, to further assist the decarbonisation of road transport. 

Andreas Scheuer, federal minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, said: “With the new funding, we are creating a huge incentive for transport companies to switch to climate-friendly commercial vehicles.

“It is also a fact that the road will continue to have a large share in the transport of goods. That is why it has to get cleaner quickly.”