In a summary of the first funding call on the guideline for funding commercial vehicles with alternative, climate-protecting drives and the associated refuelling and charging infrastructure (KsNI), the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) is publishing figures on approved vehicles, charging infrastructure and feasibility studies.

The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport supports the conversion of road freight transport to climate-protecting commercial vehicles. Through the BMDV funding, over 1,200 vehicles with electric and hydrogen drives have been procured and almost 1,500 charging points have been facilitated. That is shown by the approval figures from the first funding call in 2021 on the guideline on funding commercial vehicles with alternative, climate-protecting drives and the associated refuelling and charging infrastructure (KsNI guideline). The second funding call, which also provides funding for operationally-critical hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, ends in August 2022.

 

Dr. Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital and Transport: “Our funding programme shows that companies are very interested in converting their fleets to clean drive systems. We support the sector in taking responsibility for climate protection and reducing emissions in road freight transport. With our funding, we are also providing support for innovations and development in an early market phase. I am pleased that we are continuing this success story with the second funding call. With over 1,600 applications for commercial and special-purpose vehicles, such as waste collection vehicles, our second call demonstrates that interest and commitment from companies for climate protection continues unabated. On 17  November, we will host a conference for climate-friendly commercial vehicles and discuss possibilities and further steps to reduce CO2 emissions.”

 

The final approval figures from the first funding call in 2021:

In total, around 300 projects worth about 190 million euros were approved.

Commercial vehicles:

The KsNI funding programme is a powerful boost for the ramp-up of climate-friendly commercial vehicles in Germany. With around 158 million euros, the BMDV is funding the procurement of 1,217 climate-friendly commercial vehicles with electric and hydrogen drive systems. For trucks weighing over 12 tonnes, their number of electric trucks in Germany will increase twenty-fold as a result of the funding. Approved electric vehicles are broken down into the following categories (921 in total):

  • N1 (up to 3.5 tonnes): 321
  • N2 (3.5-12 tonnes): 161
  • N3 (over 12 tonnes): 439

 

In the first call, 290 hydrogen-powered vehicles were also funded.

Approved hydrogen vehicles are broken down into EC vehicle classes:

  • N1: 105
  • N2: 4
  • N3: 181

 

Charging infrastructure:

In the first funding call, 1,481 charging points were funded at 332 locations. Of these, 333 were fast-charging points with a charging capacity of over 100 kW.

The BMDV also funded 24 feasibility studies on the preconditions and framework conditions for the operational deployment of climate-friendly commercial vehicles. The results of these evaluations will be pooled as part of accompanying research and made publicly available as guidelines in the future.

 

Preliminary application figures from the second funding call and special call:

The readiness of German companies to convert their fleets to climate-friendly drives is unwavering. In the second KsNI funding call with the associated special call for special-purpose vehicles, around 1,670 applications for special-purpose vehicles and around 1,090 applications for charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure were submitted up to the deadline on 24 August 2022. Applications are currently being assessed for funding eligibility.

The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport is providing a total of around 1.3 billion euros for funding the procurement of climate-friendly commercial vehicles. In addition, around 6.3 billion euros are being made available for the construction  (or expansion) of refuelling and charging infrastructure for cars and trucks.

The KsNI funding guideline is coordinated by NOW GmbH. Applications are approved by the Federal Office for Goods Transport.