Federal funding for solar systems for charging electric cars canceled
There was actually supposed to be solar power subsidies for wall boxes in conjunction with photovoltaics in 2024 – now the KfW has canceled them! But in some federal states there is still regional funding for wall boxes and solar power. All information!
Power cut: The federal government’s solar power program is history. Actually, 200 million euros in subsidies for solar systems in connection with wall boxes for Electric cars distributed, but the “Solar Power for Electric Cars” program has now been canceled without replacement.
The first tranche of the funding program, amounting to 300 million euros, was exhausted after just a few hours on September 27, 2023. 33,000 applications were approved. Compared to the number of 16.3 million owner-occupied homes in Germany, this is a drop in the ocean (see comment).
What are the chances of further solar power subsidies?
What happens next? Since the reason for the cuts is the general budget crisis of the federal government, further funding is very unlikely in the medium term. If you want to stay up to date, you can at least Subscribe to KfW newsletter.
The state-owned KfW Bank had to turn off the funding tap; the federal government’s budget crisis is the reason.
Image: KfW/Rüdiger Nehmzow
What was subsidized in the solar power subsidy program?
The original funding “Solar power for Electric carsNot everyone could apply for the “Economic Assistance” anyway. It was tied to several conditions: Financial support was available for a combination package of a new wall box, a new power storage unit and a new photovoltaic system on the roof. In addition, an electric car had to already be available or at least ordered. In addition, only owner-occupied homes were subsidized, not hotels or properties owned by legal entities (GmbH, etc.).
The maximum grant of 10,200 euros could only be received by those who also allowed their vehicle’s battery to be discharged. To do this, you need a car that can charge bidirectionallyThe battery can thus serve as a small part of a reserve from which electricity can flow back into the grid or be used in your own home if necessary.
Private charging of electric cars is only supported by a few federal states.
Image: DPA
For the purchase of a wall box, a power storage unit and photovoltaics on the roof, a maximum subsidy of 9600 euros would have been available if the system had the necessary performance (Here you can find more information about solar systems).
These funding programs for wallboxes still exist
There are still a few regional and local funding programs for the purchase and installation of a wallbox – some of them, however, are limited to commercial applicants.
Wallbox subsidies
What are the country’s wallbox funding programs?
• Bavaria: 200 euros, requirement: installation of a photovoltaic system. More information: 10,000-Houses Program Bavaria• Hamburg: 40 to 60 percent of expenses; e.g. for companies, landowners, homeowners associations, universities; more information: Hamburg Investment and Development Bank • North Rhine-Westphalia: 60 percent of the installation costs, maximum 2000 euros, prerequisite: electricity from renewable energies or green electricity. More information: E-Mobility NRW • Schleswig-Holstein: 500 to 750 euros per charging point, 500 euros for additional load management per location with at least 3 charging points; for companies, initiatives and local authorities. More information: Chamber of Commerce and Industry Schleswig-Holstein• Thuringia: Small and medium-sized companies can receive funding for the installation of charging infrastructure and electrical buffer storage. Grants of up to 75 percent of eligible expenses are possible (maximum amounts apply). More information: Thuringian Development Bank
What regional/local funding programs are available?*
• Aachen: 500 euros, requirement: purchase of an electric car and installation via Stawag Aachen. More information: Stawag Aachen• Dachau: 125 euros, requirement: electricity supply via municipal utility company. More information: Dachau Public Utilities• Darmstadt: 200 euros, requirement: purchase of an Entega charging box and green electricity tariff. More information: Entega • Diepholz: 1000 euros, requirement: purchase of an electric car and green electricity tariff. More information: Huntetal municipal utilities • Dusseldorf: 20 percent of the costs up to a maximum of 500 euros, prerequisite: charging with green electricity or existing solar system. More information: Environmental Office Düsseldorf• Frankfurt/Main: 100 euros, requirement: purchase of a Mainova wallbox. More information: Mainova• Frankfurt/Oder: Up to 500 euros or 300 euros for hybrid, prerequisite: purchase of an electric car or plug-in hybrid, charging with green electricity. More information: Public utilities Frankfurt ad Oder • Hanover: 500 euros, requirement: purchase of an Enercity wallbox, charging with green electricity. More information: Energy• Hildesheim: 500 euros, requirement: installation and green electricity tariff by EVI. More information: EVI• Jena: 300 euros, requirement: purchase or lease of a wallbox from the municipal utility company. More information: Jena Public Utilities• Karlsruhe: 100 euros, requirement: purchase of an electric car and attaching SWK stickers to the electric car. More information: Karlsruhe Public Utilities• Limburg: 300 euros. More information: City of Limburg• Lindau: 200 Euro credit on the electricity bill. Prerequisite: purchase of an electric car. More information: Lindau Public Utilities• Mainz: 400 euros, requirement: charging with green electricity. More information: Mainz Public Utilities• Marburg (city): 750 euros, requirement: purchase of an electric car. More information: Marburg Municipal Utilities• Marburg (district): 400 euros, 500 euros if you use your own green electricity. More information: District• Merseburg: 500 euros. More information: Merseburg Municipal Utilities • Munich: Up to 6000 euros. Prerequisite: planning and installation of charging infrastructure. More information: City of Munich • Neuwied: 500 euros, requirement: purchase of an electric car. More information: Neuwied municipal utilities• Nuremberg: 250 euros, requirement: purchase of the wallbox via N-ERGIE. More information: N-ENERGY• Rastatt: 100 euros, requirement: electricity supply via Stadtwerke Rastatt. More information: Rastatt Public Utilities• Schwedt: 200 euros, 300 euros when combined with a solar system. More information: Schwedt municipal utilities • Sigmaringen: 150 euros, requirement: purchase of an electric car. More information: Sigmaringen Public Utilities• Solingen: 100 euros. More information: Solingen Public Utilities • St. Wendel: 300 Euro discount on electricity bill, condition: purchase of an electric car. More information: St. Wendel public utilities• Unterschleissheim: 40 percent of the total costs, max. 500 euros, requirement: purchase/leasing (at least 36 months) of an electric car. More information: City of Unterschleissheim• Versmold: 300 euros, requirement: purchase of an electric car. More information: Versmold municipal utilities• Wiesbaden: 500 euros, requirement: purchase of an electric car, electricity via ESWE. More information: ESWE• Wuppertal: 150 euros, requirement: five-year contract with WSW Energie & Wasser AG. More information: WSW-online• Zweibrücken: 500 euros, requirement: purchase of an electric car. More information: Zweibrücken public utilities
* no claim to completeness, as of September 24, 2020
Important to note: For funding programs from states, cities and municipalities – as with KfW – the basic rule is that a cost estimate is required first. Then the funding application is filled out, and the equipment is always ordered last.
Wallbox test: Which ones are recommended?
The question remains which Wall box best to take. On behalf of Car Whiz and cooperation partner Edison, the specialists from the testing organization DEKRA also tested four wall boxes and a mobile charging station. The measured values ​​for all sockets remained in the green range; for example, there was no heat build-up. Basically, all boxes do their job: They safely supply electricity for charging electric cars. The Webasto Pure wall box was the winner in terms of price-performance.
The ADAC had recently twelve 11 kW models tested. The products were rated between 1.0 (very good) and 5.0 (poor).
How much funding was available under the previous program?
Between autumn 2020 and October 2021, the first state funding for domestic Wallboxes for electric vehicles, with up to 900 euros available. The federal government had set up a funding pot totaling 800 million euros for the purchase of private charging stations, which was ultimately empty. As the state development bank announced in response to an Car Whiz inquiry immediately after the program ended, a good 825,000 households had submitted funding applications for almost a million charging points.
How many applicants were left empty-handed?
After final evaluation, according to golem.com Exactly 689,980 of the 974,449 charging points applied for were actually subsidized with 900 euros, meaning 284,469 wallboxes were left empty-handed.
Most frequently, applicants installed the wallbox in their garage (56.2 percent). In around a fifth of cases, they were installed in a carport (20.3 percent) or in an uncovered parking space (18.2 percent). Only in 2.4 percent of cases were the wallboxes installed in an underground car park.
Wallbox (2021): Charge your car at home – Electric – Info
6 steps to an electric charging station for your home
Image: Car Whiz / Conny Poltersdorf
According to the analysis, residents of single-family homes benefited above average with 68 percent of the subsidies paid out; only 15.8 percent of the wallboxes were installed in multi-family homes, followed by terraced and semi-detached houses with 14.7 percent.
Wallbox funding for companies and municipalities expired
In the meantime, KfW has also provided state wallbox funding for companies. Since the end of 2021, municipalities (“Grant 439”) and companies (“Grant 441”) also received 900 euros per charging point from KfW. But that is now over too. The volume of the funding pot was 350 million euros.
