How fleet operators are now benefiting from the new funding guideline for alternative drives and turning the TCO revolution around.
The new BMV guideline on bus funding 2025 is active and offers up to 80% subsidy for the electrification of your fleet. This is an opportunity to drastically reduce investment costs and exceed legal requirements. Find out how to make optimal use of the funds to convert or buy new electric buses.
Increasing operating costs and stricter emission requirements pose enormous challenges for bus fleet operators. Electrification is the logical step, but the high initial investment is a hurdle. This is exactly where the new BMV Bus Funding 2025 guideline comes in. It not only offers subsidies for the purchase of new e-buses, but also explicitly promotes the D2E-conversion of existing diesel vehicles.
For municipalities and companies, this represents a unique opportunity to reduce total operating costs (TCO), obtain valuable special structures and set the course for a future-proof, emission-free fleet. HEERO is your partner to make full use of this potential.
The new BMV guideline promotes the purchase and conversion of buses to electric drives until 31.12.2025 with 80% of the additional costs.
The conversion of existing diesel vehicles is explicitly eligible for funding, which enables investments in special structures to be protected (circular economy).
In addition to vehicles, the necessary charging and maintenance infrastructure is also subsidized with up to 40% (plus SME bonus).
The “Guideline for the Promotion of Alternative Drive Systems for Buses in Passenger Transport” published on June 26, 2024 is valid until December 31, 2025. It is the federal government's central instrument for achieving the climate protection target of minus 65 percent emissions by 2030 in the transport sector. The program aims to significantly accelerate the market ramp-up of buses with battery and fuel cell technology. For transport companies and municipalities, this is a decisive lever for modernization.
Extra investment spending is being promoted compared to a conventional diesel bus. The maximum funding rate for the purchase or conversion of electric buses is 80 percent. This significantly reduces acquisition costs and makes the switch economically attractive. The associated charging and maintenance infrastructure is subsidized with up to 40 percent. With this program, around 5,000 zero-emission buses are to be put on the road.
Die Funding for e-bus conversion are a clear signal of the value of the circular economy. This financial support is crucial to drive forward the transformation of public and commercial passenger transport.
The eligibility to apply is deliberately broad in order to achieve a nationwide effect. Legal entities under public law, such as cities and municipalities, as well as legal and natural persons under private law who are economically active, can submit applications. This includes private bus companies, logistics companies and craft businesses. A permanent establishment in Germany is a prerequisite. The current bus funding thus opens the door to electric mobility for many fleet operators.
The funding covers several core areas that enable a holistic transition. This includes:
The procurement of new vehicles with battery-electric or fuel cell-based drives.
Die Retrofitting of existing vehicles to an alternative drive system, provided that this is more economical or no suitable new vehicle is available on the market.
The necessary, non-public charging infrastructure (e.g. at the depot) with a funding rate of 40 percent.
Additional maintenance infrastructure required to operate the e-buses.
Feasibility studies, which are subsidized with 50 percent to strategically plan the transition.
This broad coverage ensures that not only the vehicle but the entire e-mobility ecosystem is promoted.
An outstanding feature of the BMV Directive is the explicit mention of the conversion as an eligible measure. This is a decisive advantage for all operators who have expensive special vehicles based on Sprinter or other buses with individual superstructures. Instead of replacing a proven and depreciated vehicle base with a high residual value, the HEERO D2E-conversion enables for continued use. This not only saves the budget, but also valuable resources and is a prime example of a circular economy in practice.
The funding covers 80 percent of the additional investment expenditure incurred during a conversion. For fleet managers, this means that the costs of converting a Diesel Sprinter to a powerful e-bus are drastically reduced. You protect your initial investment into the vehicle body and at the same time benefit from the lower operating and maintenance costs of an electric drive. This makes electrifying your bus fleet the most economical option.
This approach is particularly relevant for municipalities with special vehicles or bus companies with tailor-made fleets.
The application process for vehicle and infrastructure projects is structured in two stages to ensure efficient funding allocation. It starts with the submission of a project outline and culminates in a formal application. This structured process ensures the quality of the funded projects. It is important for fleet operators to pay close attention to the deadlines for the respective funding calls.
The process is divided into the following steps:
1. Publication of the funding call: The BMV publishes calls for project outlines with specific deadlines and requirements.
2nd Submission of project outline: In the first stage, applicants submit a project outline via the “Easy-online” online portal. This outline describes the planned project.
3rd Assessment and prioritization: The sketches received are evaluated according to criteria such as CO2 reduction potential, profitability and fleet share.
4th Request for a full proposal: Projects rated positively are invited to submit a formal funding application.
5th Application review and approval: After final review of the full application, the granting authority will decide on funding within the limits of available budget resources.
Careful preparation of documents is the key to success. Die Checklist for the funding application helps to meet all requirements.
The BMV Bus Funding 2025 guideline not only reduces acquisition costs (CAPEX), but also sustainably improves the total cost of ownership (TCO). With a subsidy of 80% on the additional costs of an e-bus or a conversion, the initial investment is reduced to the level of a diesel vehicle or even below. This significantly accelerates the return on investment (ROI). For a fleet operator with 10 buses, this can mean savings of over 1 million euros.
The real savings are evident in operations (OPEX). Electric vehicles benefit from significantly lower energy and maintenance costs. Electricity is cheaper per kilometer than diesel, and the elimination of oil changes, exhaust systems and other wear-prone parts reduces workshop costs by up to 60%. These operating cost benefits can be realized directly through funding. Die 80 percent funding rate The strongest incentive for e-buses is to act now.
In addition, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) benefit from a bonus of up to 20 percentage points on infrastructure funding, which further reduces overall costs. This makes electrification an economically and ecologically superior solution.
The BMV Bus Funding 2025 guideline is an excellent opportunity, but the application process and technical implementation require expertise. HEERO is more than just a vehicle manufacturer or retrofitter; we are your strategic partner for electrification. We support you from the initial analysis to the preparation of a convincing project outline to the commissioning of your e-fleet. Our patented D2E-conversion for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a tried and tested solution that is perfectly tailored to the funding criteria.
We help you prove the profitability of your project with a detailed TCO analysis and prove the ecological benefits. Whether for municipalities, logistics companies or craft businesses - we develop a tailor-made solution that meets your operational requirements and makes maximum use of funding. Take advantage of our experience from numerous successful fleet projects. Die Promoting charging infrastructure is an integral part of our concept.
Start transforming your fleet now. Request a personal advice on or book one Everyday test for freeto experience the performance and reliability of our vehicles for yourself. HEERO makes the switch to electric mobility easy, economical and future-proof.
The most important requirements are that the project has not yet been started, that the electricity used for the e-buses is proven to come from renewable sources and that the applicant has a branch in Germany. The exact requirements are specified in the respective funding call.
Yes, the non-public charging, hydrogen refueling and maintenance infrastructure required to operate the subsidized buses is supported with an aid intensity of 40 percent of eligible expenditure.
Yes, it is possible for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to increase aid intensity by 20 and 10 percentage points when supporting infrastructure.
It is a two-stage process. First, a project outline is submitted. After a positive evaluation, applicants are invited to submit a formal, detailed funding application. Applications must be submitted via the “Easy-online” electronic system.
Yes, the preparation of feasibility studies and analyses on possible uses of buses with alternative drives is subsidized with 50 percent of expenditure to support strategic planning.
As a strategic partner, HEERO accompanies you through the entire process. We help you create the technical and economic basis for your project outline, provide TCO analyses and ensure that your project optimally meets the funding criteria to maximize your chances of success.
The official Federal Government website provides comprehensive information on political initiatives and funding programs, including the transport revolution and electric mobility.
Die NOW GmbH is a federally owned company that coordinates the development and implementation of funding programs for sustainable mobility and energy, such as federal funding for e-buses.
The Contract partner Jülich (PtJ) is an institution of Forschungszentrum Jülich and supports federal ministries in implementing research and innovation funding programs, including the evaluation of applications for e-bus funding.
