What is the GHG quota and how does it work? Learn how eMobility is credited and who can benefit from the GHG quota in Germany.
Companies that place fossil fuels such as petrol or diesel on the market must gradually reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with them. If they do not achieve the required reduction entirely through their own measures, they can use eligible emission reductions from other areas.
This includes electricity used for eMobility.
As a result, owners of pure battery electric vehicles and operators of publicly accessible charging points can benefit from the GHG quota.
The transport sector is responsible for a significant share of CO₂ emissions. Reducing these emissions requires fossil fuels to be replaced gradually by lower-emission alternatives.
The GHG quota creates an economic incentive to support this transition.
Companies that place fossil fuels on the market must reduce their greenhouse gas intensity. Electricity used for electric vehicles can be credited as a lower-emission alternative.
The GHG quota therefore combines climate policy with a market-based mechanism.
Put simply:
Companies that place fossil fuels on the market must reduce emissions. Those who provide or use eligible lower-emission energy can benefit financially.
The GHG quota is based on a trading mechanism.
Electric vehicle owners do not directly sell emission rights. What matters is the eligible amount of electricity used for eMobility.
The process can be simplified into four steps:
This can take place, for example, through a pure battery electric vehicle or at a publicly accessible charging point.
The approach varies depending on the specific use case. For certain electric vehicles, a flat rate for electricity consumption—as specified by law—is used as the basis. For publicly accessible charging stations, however, the actual amount of electricity supplied may be relevant.
The relevant data is verified, and the eligible quantities are certified. This establishes the basis for utilizing the resulting greenhouse gas reduction within the framework of the GHG quota.
The certified quantities are bundled and sold to companies that must meet their statutory greenhouse gas reduction quotas. The proceeds from these sales go to the certificate holders.
With all-electric vehicles, a unique situation arises: The amount of electricity actually charged by a single vehicle cannot always be clearly measured or attributed to a specific vehicle. For example, an electric car can be charged at home, at work, or at public charging stations. For this reason, lawmakers use flat-rate electricity amounts for certain vehicles. These are set once per calendar year based on the respective vehicle class. This allows the GHG quota to be utilized without having to document every single charging session for a vehicle.
It is important to note that the flat-rate vehicle allowance generally applies to battery-electric vehicles only. Plug-in hybrids are treated differently in this context.
For publicly accessible charging stations, the billing works differently. Here, the actual amount of electricity supplied can be taken into account. As a result, the potential GHG compensation depends more heavily on how much electricity is charged via a qualified charging station. A heavily used public charging station can generate a correspondingly higher amount of eligible electricity than a charging station with few charging sessions. This creates an additional revenue stream for operators in addition to their actual charging revenues.
Not every charging station that can be used by multiple people is automatically considered publicly accessible. The decisive factor is whether the charging point is available to an open or generally definable group of users.
Typical examples can include:
Charging points that are available only to a clearly defined and individually known group of people are generally not considered publicly accessible.
The exact classification depends on the specific usage situation.
The German Environment Agency plays a central role in the crediting of electricity under the GHG quota scheme.
It reviews the submitted data and certifies the eligible electricity volumes and the resulting greenhouse gas reductions. This does not mean that the German Environment Agency pays a GHG premium itself. The financial remuneration arises only when the certified volumes are subsequently marketed to companies subject to the quota obligation. This is one reason why the achievable revenues can change over time.
GHG revenue is not a permanently fixed state subsidy.
Its value depends on several factors, including:
As a result, revenue may vary from year to year or even within a single year. Current amounts should therefore always be checked at the time of application.
Both models are based on the same basic principle, but differ in their calculations.
For pure battery electric vehicles, a standard electricity volume is applied per vehicle and calendar year. Individual charging sessions do not need to be documented separately.
For public charging points, the calculation is based on the actual eligible electricity supplied. The higher the eligible charging volume, the higher the potential GHG revenue. Companies with electric vehicles and publicly accessible charging infrastructure may therefore, in principle, be affected by both forms of GHG offsetting.
The GHG quota is relevant for different groups.
These can include:
The type of GHG credit that is available depends on the vehicle, the charging infrastructure, and the applicable legal requirements.
The GHG quota creates an additional economic incentive for electric mobility.
Electric vehicle owners and charging infrastructure operators can generate additional revenue without having to create any additional emission reductions beyond the eMobility already in use.
For operators of public charging points, the GHG quota can also help offset part of the ongoing costs associated with operating, maintaining or expanding charging infrastructure.
At the same time, the system supports the broader policy objective of gradually replacing fossil fuels with lower-emission alternatives.
Before applying, companies should clarify:
For charging infrastructure in particular, careful assessment is useful because public accessibility and legal requirements can depend on the specific operating model.
The GHG quota is more than a premium for electric cars. It is part of a system designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector and support lower-emission energy sources through economic incentives.
There are two main approaches to electric mobility: the flat-rate crediting of certain all-electric vehicles and the crediting of the actual amount of electricity delivered at publicly accessible charging stations.
For current revenues, eligibility requirements and details on how companies can use the GHG quota with reev, visit our overview page.
Find out about current revenues, eligibility requirements and how to use the GHG quota for electric vehicles and publicly accessible charging points.
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