Thousands install e-car charging station at home

More than 2,500 Luxembourg residents have applied for a state subsidy to install an e-car charging point at home, with the annual number increasing three-fold since the scheme was launched in 2020, as the government aims to entice motorists away from petrol and diesel cars.

Up to half of the cost of a charging station for an electric vehicle is paid from public funds under the “Clever Lueden” programme, which began in July 2020.

In the first six months, it received 320 applications, a figure which soared to 1,000 during 2021, according to figures released by Environment Minister Joëlle Welfring on Tuesday, in response to a parliamentary question.

Luxembourg has the highest number of cars per resident in the EU, accounting for the highest level of carbon emissions compared to the size of its population.

So far this year, the scheme has attracted more applicants than in all of last year, with 1,200 requests for funding submitted by mid-September, the statistics showed. It takes around nine weeks on average for an application to be processed, the ministry said.

Just 166 applications have been refused to date, the ministry said, including 32 requests made by companies - which are covered by a separate scheme launched in November 2021 - and 19 which contained an invoice which pre-dated the beginning of the programme.

The government has a number of incentives in place to encourage the country’s motorists to switch away from petrol and diesel cars and help the Grand Duchy’s drive to meet its ambitious climate targets.

State support schemes offer people money if they swap petrol cars for carbon-neutral electric vehicles. Luxembourg provides a subsidy of up to €8,000 for fully electric cars, but this is set to end in March 2024.

In a bid to meet its climate targets, Luxembourg will levy higher taxes on company cars as of next year. The new levy will add to the bills of those vehicles emitting 80g per kilometre from 2023, while drivers producing a smaller carbon footprint will not be impacted.

Some 14,000 electric vehicles had been registered in Luxembourg in 2021, up from more than 8,000 in all of 2020, the government said last November.

The Luxembourg Times has a new mobile app, download here! Get the Luxembourg Times delivered to your inbox twice a day. Sign up for your free newsletters here.