--- title: "Subsidies Mean This Electric Car Is Literally Free in Germany" description: "German electric car subsidies are so high, that leasing a Renault Zoe EV is essentially free right now. Demand is sky-rocketing." date: "2020-07-16" modified: "2020-07-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/subsidies-electric-cars-literally-free-germany" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "electric cars" - "electric vehicles" - "france" - "germany" - "renault" - "the digest" --- # Subsidies Mean This Electric Car Is Literally Free in Germany ![German electric car subsidies are so high, that leasing a Renault Zoe EV is essentially free right now. Demand is sky-rocketing.]() *\Image: Renault\* ## Subsidy Party In an effort to pick up plummeted demand for cars back from the ground, European governments are pumping money back into the industry through subsidies. In fact, [*Bloomberg* reports](), Germany is currently subsidizing the vehicles so aggressively that leasing the best-selling five-door Renault Zoe EV is now essentially free. ## Electric Demand As a result of the financial incentives, prospective buyers in France and Germany are flocking to virtual showrooms, since in-person shopping has been greatly affected by the pandemic. In particular, the number of inquiries about the unbeatable Renault Zoe offer are through the roof. "If we had more sales staff, we would have sold even more," said Wolfgang Huber, head of electric-car sales at Autohaus Koenig in Germany, told *Bloomberg*. "We did expect an increase in sales with the subsidies, but this run really struck us." ## Gas Down Demand for the vehicle is expected to be double this year when compared to last year in France. The news also comes after car buyers in the Netherlands sucked up a $11.3 million subsidies grant by the Dutch government in a [record eight days](). It's another promising sign that the phase-out of internal combustion engine cars is underway across the globe. A number of countries in Europe have announced plans to ban gasoline cars in favor of electric vehicles within a matter of decades. And major cities are leading the charge, with bans on diesel-powered vehicles in place [as soon as 2025](). **READ MORE:** [Electric-Car Subsidies Make Renaults Free in Germany]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on electric cars:** *[Elon Musk Brags That Tesla Is “Very Close” to Full, Level 5 Self Driving]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()