The Austrian Ministry for Climate Action has recently announced the first call from the Emission-free Commercial Vehicles and Infrastructure (ENIN) funding programme. The programme aims to support companies in procuring non-fossil fuel commercial vehicles and infrastructure. The first call, worth 85 million euros, has been launched and applications can be submitted until 10 May 2023.
ENIN, which stands for “emissionsfreie Nutzfahrzeuge und Infrastruktur” in German, was announced a year ago, with the first call worth 45 million euros in funding scheduled to go out by mid-2022. Although the ministry could not keep to this schedule, it has made more funding available now. Until 2025, companies may call up 365 million euros under the programme, which is 90 million more than what was announced last year. The Austrian Climate Protection Ministry will provide 330 million, and the remaining 35 million will come from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funds.
The funding is divided into two calls. The first call comprises class N1 vehicles (vans up to 3.5 tonnes) with 35 million euros earmarked. For the vehicles, 80% of the additional costs will be subsidised, and for the infrastructure, 40% of the net acquisition costs. The second tender is for class N2 vehicles (trucks up to 12 tonnes), N3 (heavy lorries over 12 tonnes), and articulated trucks. The budget here is 50 million euros, and the same subsidy quotas apply to the N1 vehicles.
“The future on our roads is electric. With this funding, we are launching an offensive for sustainable mobility in freight transport,” says Climate Action Minister Leonore Gewessler. “The conversion of commercial vehicle fleets to zero-emission drives is an important step towards more climate protection on our roads.”
The ENIN programme is a crucial step towards decarbonising freight transport and achieving environmentally friendly future mobility. The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) has taken over the management of the programme to ensure that the funding is used quickly and in a targeted manner and that the mobility transition in Austria picks up speed. As FFG Managing Director Klaus Pseiner said at the launch of the first two calls, “Decarbonising freight transport is an essential step towards environmentally friendly future mobility. As a partner for implementation, we ensure that the funding is used quickly and in a targeted manner and that the mobility transition in Austria picks up speed.”
ENIN funding programme will not only benefit companies but also the environment. It will contribute to Austria’s efforts in achieving its climate targets, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting sustainable mobility.
