Germany forces more than 1,000 Tesla owners to forgo electric car bonus
The Tesla Model S was removed from a subsidy list after it was found Tesla was delivering higher-spec cars costing more than €60,000
Frankfurt — Germany has said 1,050 owners of the Tesla Model S must forgo a €2,000 electric car subsidy because the value of their vehicles surpasses an eligibility threshold. The federal office for economic affairs and export control said only vehicles costing €60,000 or less qualified for Germany’s "environmental bonus", intended to encourage the purchase of electric cars. The Tesla Model S was removed from the subsidy list on November 30 2017, after the office found Tesla was delivering higher-specification vehicles costing more than €60,000. "The subsidy needs to be repaid by 800 people who had received it, and another 250 customers who had been notified they were eligible and who will now not receive it," a spokesperson said on Wednesday. Customers who bought Tesla cars costing less than €60,000 are eligible to apply for the bonus, the spokesperson said. The car maker said it was appealing against the decision and would pay the bonus to its clients in place of the German state ...
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