BERLIN (dpa-AFX): More than 50,000 applications have been submitted in the first three weeks of the new subsidy program for electric vehicles. Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) provided these figures to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

"The new electric vehicle subsidy is working," the SPD politician stated. The majority of applications were filed for fully electric cars. "This is no surprise: there are increasingly better EVs, more charging stations, and finally, small and affordable models available."

He emphasized the importance of making electric vehicles affordable for households that previously could not afford them. "The data shows that the social tiering of the subsidy program is effective," Schneider said. A significant portion of the applications originated from households with a taxable income of less than €45,000.

According to the Environment Ministry, out of a total of 51,128 applications received since May 19, 46,157 were for fully electric or fuel-cell vehicles. There were 4,971 applications submitted for hybrids or vehicles equipped with range extenders.

To qualify for the subsidy, the vehicle must have been registered on or after January 1 of this year. The amount of the government grant depends on the vehicle type, income, and family size, reaching up to €6,000. The funding is expected to be sufficient for up to 800,000 vehicles./vsr/DP/zb