With the nationwide expansion of publicly accessible charging infrastructure, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure wants to promote the switch to eMobility.
To this end, the funding guideline “Publicly accessible charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Germany” was published in July 2021. A total of 500 million euros will be used to fund 50,000 charging points, including at least 20,000 fast charging points.
What is important? We have summarized the most important information for you:
What is funded?
The funding only applies to the construction of publicly accessible charging points:
- Normal charging points (NLP): with a maximum charging capacity of 3.7 kW to 22 kW
- DC fast-charging points (SLP): with a maximum charging capacity of more than 22 kW
What are the requirements for funding?
The requirement for the funding is that the charging infrastructure is publicly accessible. In other words, the charging station must be located in public street space. In case of installation on private property, the associated parking space must be accessible to an unspecified group of people or a group of people who can only be determined based on general characteristics.
For more information on what to watch out for when using public charging points, see here.
Another important requirement is that the respective funding amounts are dependent on time accessibility:
- In case of unrestricted accessibility with regard to time (24 hours, 7 days), the maximum funding quotas apply
- Accessibility may be limited with regard to time. But then, you have to observe a minimum time window: public access must be possible for at least 12 hours on weekdays (Monday – Saturday). In this case, the maximum funding amounts are halved.
If the charging station is publicly accessible for a shorter time or not at all, no funding can be granted.
Who can apply for a grant?
Eligible to apply are “natural and legal persons”. The funding can therefore be applied for by all companies, cities and municipalities, public institutions and private individuals who are planning to set up charging infrastructure with public access.
What level of funding can applicants expect?
The maximum subsidy amount for the charging stations varies depending on the charging point category and the area of demand. Up to 60 percent of the eligible costs are funded.
| Charging point category | Maximum funding amount | Maximum funding rate |
| NLP (3.7 kW to 22 kW) | 2,500 Euro | 60 percent |
| SLP 1 (22 kW to 100 kW) | 10,000 Euro | 60 percent |
| SLP 2 (more than 100 kW) | 20,000 Euro | 40 percent or 60 percent |
Are there regional differences regarding the funding?
Yes, the funding level varies from region to region. As a basis for the regional distribution of the subsidies, 100 so-called contingent regions are used, each of which comprises several postal code areas. For each charging point category and each contingent region, there is a fixed share of subsidized charging points.
As a result, when applications are processed, preference is given to those charging points the location of which is assigned a high demand. The calculation of demand for the respective zip code areas can be viewed online at www.deutschlandnetz.de.
When and where can the funding be applied for?
Within this first call for applications, funding can be applied for between August 31, 2021, and January 18, 2022. Overall, the funding program “Publicly accessible charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Germany” will run until 2025.
Applications must be submitted via the electronic application portal easy-Online: foerderportal.bund.de/easyonline.
More subsidies and discounts that can be claimed when setting up charging infrastructure for electric vehicles are summarized here.