There has been great interest in the subsidy schemes for the purchase of electric vehicles, following the launch of the application process on Saturday, according to data from the Road Transport Department.

Until Monday morning, 984 applications for the purchase of a new electric vehicle had been submitted, 252 applications for the withdrawal and replacement with a new low-CO2 emissions hybrid vehicle, 44 applications for the purchase of an electric bicycle, and 230 applications for the purchase of new electric machine. Also, 45 applications have been submitted for vehicle withdrawal against free tickets worth €250 for use on regular bus lines and a one-off amount of €500.

In addition, the 104 available grants for the purchase of a used electric vehicle have already been used up, as well as the 30 grants for large families for the purchase of a new electric vehicle.

There has also been great interest in the schemes concerning professionals as all four grants for the purchase of a new category N2 electric vehicle (commercial with gross weight exceeding 3,500 kg but not exceeding 12,000 kg) and two for the purchase of a new electric category M2 vehicle (small bus with more than eight seats) have already been claimed.

So far, 23 applications have been submitted for the purchase of a new electric taxi and one for withdrawal and replacement with a new low-CO2 emissions hybrid taxi.

On Monday morning there were still available many slots for applications on several categories.

Applications may be submitted online, through the website of the Department of Road Transport, until October 11, 2024 or until the funds reserved for each subsidy are exhausted, whichever occurs first.