One in five German company fleet cars is an electric or hybrid vehicle – survey
Clean Energy Wire
One in five German company fleet cars in 2023 were electric, around half of which are pure battery-electric vehicles (BEV) and the other half plug-in hybrids, a survey done by state-owned development bank KfW found. This is up from 15 percent in 2022. The number of company cars has been rising and accounted for more than two thirds of all new registrations in Germany in the first half of 2024. For the electrification of company fleets to gain momentum in the future, companies need financial incentives such as low-interest promotional loans or grants, a continuously increasing CO2 price signal and an exemption of electrically powered vehicles from the lorry toll, said KfW. It surveyed 11,466 companies of all sizes in 2023.
These proposals come as the government is readying tax write-offs for company cars. New registrations of electric cars have been on a downward trend in Germany for months, particularly after last year’s federal budget issues led to an abrupt end of the country’s electric car subsidy programme. Vehicles used for business purposes will play an important role in the future used car market, as corporate buyers often use their new cars for a shorter period of time than private customers.