Electric cars for everyone? Study demands new funding strategy in the canton of Bern!

Electric cars for everyone? Study demands new funding strategy in the canton of Bern!

New developments to promote electromobility are emerging: According to a study by researchers from the University of Bern, supported by the Swiss National Fund (SNF), current measures to promote the purchase of electric cars in the canton of Bern are not efficient. Patrick Bigler, one of the author: inside the investigation, explains that the same financial means could either achieve more or would need fewer funds to achieve a comparable effect. The study checked the efficiency of the existing incentives and found that the tax benefits in particular did not appear to be optimal.

new incentives for electric cars

The current approach calculates the motor vehicle tax according to the weight of the vehicle, whereby electric cars are favored with a tax reduced by 50 percent. In the first four years after the purchase of environmentally friendly new vehicles, an additional 60 percent discount comes to this tax. The study suggests that the introduction of direct purchase bonuses instead of tax breaks could significantly increase the purchase of electric cars. According to the calculations, it is possible to reduce the annual CO2 emissions in the canton of Bern to around 70 tons.

The study also analyzed the effects of subsidy policy on various layers of income. Results show that wealthier households benefit disproportionately from current public funding because they are more willing to buy electric cars. In addition, psychological and sociological factors were identified that negatively influence the acceptance of electric cars in the case of low -income households. These findings can offer valuable decisions for future political measures to maximize the effectiveness of the funding and to effectively reduce CO2 emissions, such as nau.ch emphasized.