By Andreas Hoenig and Friederike Marx, dpa
FRANKFURT – Germany’s KfW development bank was overwhelmed on Tuesday by interest in a new funding programme to adapt electric cars for solar power, leading to a temporary website overload.
“Our customer portal ‘My KfW’ is currently only accessible to a limited extent. We are working flat out to find a solution,” said the bank’s website.
A KfW spokesman reported that the portal had recorded a very large number of hits on the first day from interested parties who wanted to take a look at the promotional programme.
Up to €500 million ($529 million) are available for the purchase and installation of a charging station for electric cars in combination with a photovoltaic system and a solar power storage unit, according to the plan.
According to the Transport Ministry and the KfW, an investment grant of up to €10,200 is available for owner-occupiers of residential buildings who already possess an electric car or have one on order at the time of application.
Applications can be submitted online to KfW from Tuesday. The “first come, first served” principle applies, and when the funding runs out, it runs out.
According to the ministry, the maximum amount of funding is only available to those who also allow their vehicle’s battery to empty. The battery can thus make a small contribution towards a reserve from which electricity can flow back into the grid or be used in one’s own home if necessary.
The number of public charging points for electric cars in Germany increased by 13,302 in the first half of the year, according to the Federal Network Agency. The agency reported a total of 97,495 charging points as of July 1.
The stock of fast charging points grew by 4,110 to 18,577, almost twice as fast as the total stock, it said.
