Funding application for charging infrastructure up to 50 kW- Process steps

Promotion of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles                    up to and including 50 kW (call for funding by NOW GmbH on 03/2021)

Electric vehicles make an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions and thus to achieving climate protection targets and reducing local pollutant and noise emissions. In addition, the strengthening of electric mobility also has an economic benefit and strengthens the transformation process of the automotive industry. By the end of 2021, an additional 50,000 public charging points are to be established.

The  BAV is an approval authority for various federal funding programmes and compensation payments. Their range of services extends from the review of applications to the disbursement of the subsidies. Together with  NOW GmbH, they are responsible for the organisation and implementation of the funding.

1. Scope of funding

Grid connection per location:

Per charging point:

These and other general conditions can be found in the funding guideline "Local charging infrastrucutre".

 2. Application (1st process step)

Applications can only be submitted via the federal government's easy-Online portal, for which the guidelines from the Federal Office for Administrative Services can be used. In doing so, it must be ensured that the applicant is also entitled to submit an application. Particularly since the information provided at the time of application is relevant to the subsidy, the application must be filled out truthfully. Separate applications must be submitted if the charging points are accessible in different ways (24/7 or 12/6).  However, the application is only considered complete when the document generated from  easy-Online has been signed by the authorised representative and the following declarations have been received in original by post by the Federal Agency for Administrative Services. A deadline of 14 days (receipt by BAV) from submission of the final version in easy-Online applies here.

In detail, these are the following documents:

• Declaration on data protection
• Declaration on facts relevant to subsidies
• Declaration on de minimis subsidies
• Declaration on payment of taxes and duties
• Overall financing plan
• Self-declaration on SME status

After the application has been submitted, a confirmation will only be sent by the Federal Office for Administrative Services if all documents have been received by post in the original and in due time. The Federal Office for Administrative Services will not process the application until it has received the complete postal application, including all documents. The order in which the applications are processed depends on the date of receipt by post.

3. Construction of the charging infrastructure (2nd process step)

Once you have received your notification of funding, you may start implementing the project. The period of approval will be stated in the notification of funding. If the project begins outside the approved period, funding may not be granted. The conclusion of a supply or service contract is considered to be the start of the project. The charging infrastructure must be put into operation by the end of the grant period. Expenditure on work carried out after this date is not eligible for funding. Depending on the funding guideline and the funding call, the approval period specified therein may be extended in some cases upon application.

The location where your charging infrastructure will be funded is stated in the annex to the notification of grant. Depending on the funding guidelines and the funding call, this may be an address, a tile number or no location reference. In the event of deviations from the location stated in the notification of award, the Federal Agency for Administrative Services must be informed immediately.

If there are any changes to the notification of approval (notification of award) during the implementation of the project, the Federal Agency for Administrative Services must be notified immediately by e-mail. A check will be made to determine whether and in what form the conditions may be deviated from. Unapproved deviations from conditions may lead to revocation of the award notification.

If a certain model was already selected when the application was submitted, it does not necessarily have to be erected. In order to prove the economic viability of the procurement and construction, several offers must be obtained, unless procurement law requirements must be complied with anyway. This can lead, for example, to a different charging facility than the one planned proving to be more economical. However, before placing an order or awarding a contract, the Federal Agency for Administrative Services must be contacted so that the eligibility of the charging device can be checked.

4. Proof of use (3rd process step)

The proof of use contains all relevant information on the basis of which the funding amount can be paid out. Depending on the funding programme, the proof of use is submitted either via profi-Online or by form, whereby the exact procedure is explained in the notification of funding. If the application is submitted via profi-Online, the application for participation in this procedure will be sent directly with the notification of funding. This application must be returned in the original and signed by an authorised person before the proof of use is due. After the proof of use has been received electronically via profi-Online, the original signed form generated from this must be sent by post. The transmitted proof of use form must also, after electronic submission, be printed out and signed and then sent in the original by post to the Federal Agency for Administrative Services.

• Declaration(s) on green electricity
• Declaration on authentication
• Statement of account, contract award list if applicable

• Factual report
• ZMN file
• Voucher list
• supporting documents for payment (e.g. invoices)
• Proof of payment (e.g. bank statements)
  OBeLIS message
• Photos
• Proof of economic efficiency, if applicable

The proof of use must always be submitted one month after the end of the funding period, i.e. on 31.01.2023. After the proof of use has been submitted, it will be fully checked, which may take several months. After the complete review has been completed, the disbursable grant will be determined by means of an official notice. With the issuance of this notice, the determined grant will be transferred to the account specified in the application within the next few days.

5. Reporting (4th process step)

Despite receiving the funding, various conditions must be fulfilled, which are explained in the notification of funding. One of these is that the minimum operating period of six years must be adhered to. Within the six-year minimum operating period, semi-annual reports must be submitted via the OBeLIS-Portal. OBeLIS is a platform of NOW GmbH for the registration of subsidised charging facilities. The registration itself must take place immediately after commissioning of the charging facility. 

The semi-annual reports serve to fulfil the requirements of online reporting and must be submitted via the OBeLIS platform on 01 February and 01 August each year from commissioning until the end of the minimum operating period. The commissioning of the charging infrastructure has already been reported to OBeLIS for the proof of use.

Special cases

• If it becomes apparent that some requirements cannot (or can no longer) be met, the Federal Office for Administrative Services must be contacted immediately.
  
• If the funded charging infrastructure has to be taken out of operation in the short or long term, contact must also be made immediately. The prerequisite for this is that the minimum operating period has not yet been exceeded.
• One condition of the funding decision is that the applicant must also be the owner of the charging infrastructure for the entire minimum operating period. A sale of the funded charging infrastructure therefore generally constitutes a breach of the condition. If there are compelling reasons to sell, the applicant must be contacted immediately.

6. Checklist: Required documents

• Application via the federal funding portal easy-Online
• Declaration on data protection
• Declaration on Facts Relevant to Subsidies
• Declaration on de minimis aid
• Declaration on payment of taxes and duties
• Overall financing plan
• Self-declaration on SME status

Construction of the charging infrastructure
The applicant receives the notification of funding with all necessary information regarding the installation and the further procedure.                                                                          No documents need to be submitted in this process step!                                                                 

• Proof of use
• Declaration(s) on green electricity
• Declaration on authentication and accounting
• If applicable, contract award list and proof of economic viability
• Factual report
• ZMN file
• Voucher list
• Photos
• supporting documents for payment and proof of payment
  
• OBeLIS report

Reporting
Semi-annual report during the minimum operating period of six years

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us or the funding organisers directly: NOW GmbH or BAV.