Austria EV subsidy soars past 1,000 applications as first ultra-fast charging points set for this year

14 March 2017

More than 1,000 applications have already been made in only two weeks since the Austrian government launched the €4000 subsidy for electric vehicles (EVs), as the first ultra-fast charging points in the country are set to be deployed this year. 

Notably, the overwhelming majority of the subsidy applications – 881 of the 1021 applications received by Monday – were made for pure EVs. The news comes as the number of EVs exceeds 10,000 on Austria’s roads – with the number tripling from its low base over the past three years. This is still a very small share of Austria’s 4.8 million registered passenger cars – and a core reason for this is the lack of sufficient charging infrastructure. 

To boost EV demand, Smatrics, a subsidiary of Austria’s largest electricity provider Verbund, has announced it is to install the first four ultra-fast charging stations in the country, with two set to be installed this year. The new charge points will be seven times as fast as current ones, spokeswoman Birgit Wildburger told Ã–1-Morgenjournal, and are a double-digit million sum investment.