EV and e-mobility funding consultant for companies across the EU

Yes, we work with EV, battery and charging technology companies across the EU. Without a German entity, the main routes are the EIC Accelerator and Horizon Europe, open to companies established in an EU member state or an associated country, Eurostars, in which every EU member state takes part, and the EU Innovation Fund for projects located in the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. German programmes need a German company, permanent establishment, branch or site, depending on the programme.

The EIC Accelerator, Eurostars and Horizon Europe Cluster 5, each for a different setup. The EIC Accelerator funds a single startup or SME with a breakthrough technology: a grant below €2.5M for development from TRL 6 to 8, plus optional equity of €1M to €10M; battery materials also fit its 2026 Challenge on energy storage materials. Eurostars funds an SME-led project with partners from at least two countries. Cluster 5 funds consortia on battery and zero-emission road transport topics. Combining them works for different stages or cost items, never for the same costs twice.

Yes, if it is taxable in Germany, typically through a German subsidiary or a permanent establishment. Eligibility follows German tax liability, and the tax authorities treat a foreign company with a German permanent establishment as eligible where Germany has the right to tax. The allowance is 25% of eligible R&D costs, 35% for SMEs, credited against German tax. Contract research counts only if the contractor is managed in the EU, or in an EEA state that provides administrative assistance in tax matters.

It depends on the programme. Under the Research Allowance, building and testing a prototype on the bench or in a test vehicle is R&D while it resolves technical uncertainty, and the R&D phase ends with the test of the prototype. Routine testing against a known specification, tests that only generate data for type approval, standards or certification, and a zero series are not. Horizon Europe innovation actions can fund piloting and demonstration, and the EIC Accelerator grant covers development from TRL 6 to 8.

Yes, if electronics is the core of the project. The field Elektronik und autonomes Fahren funds risky R&D in electronics and names automotive electronics and energy technology among its application areas, so BMS, inverter or charger electronics can fit. SMEs apply alone or lead a consortium; mid-sized companies with up to 1,000 employees and €100M turnover join alongside them. A branch in Germany is required when the grant is paid. Companies receive up to 50%, SMEs up to 60%, starting with a project outline.

Yes, if the factory fits the current call. In the latest call, the clean-tech manufacturing topic covered the production of batteries and other storage for stationary and mobile use, including components and materials that drive their performance or cost, from €2.5M of capex, at up to 60% of relevant costs. Electric drives and charging equipment are not named. The fund pays for the plant, not the R&D before it, and topics change with each call. More on the EU Innovation Fund.

Under the Research Allowance, yes, if it meets three conditions. Depreciation on movable assets such as battery cyclers, dynamometers, climate chambers and measurement equipment counts if they were acquired or produced after 27 March 2024, are used exclusively in the R&D project and are necessary for it. A test bench or pilot line that also serves production fails the exclusivity test. Low-value assets written off immediately do not count, nor do software and licences. Grant programmes apply their own cost rules to equipment.

Yes, several programmes are built for that stage. The Research Allowance is paid out even when a company makes a loss: whatever exceeds your tax bill is refunded once the tax office has set it after the financial year. That suits the long run-up to start of production (SOP), where costs come years before revenue. The EIC Accelerator accepts startups, and even founders who will set up the company before the grant agreement is signed. Founders still at a German university or research institute can start with EXIST.

Yes, and for some programmes it helps. Under the Research Allowance, contract research counts at 70% of the fee for contracts placed after 27 March 2024 (60% before), if the contractor is managed in the EU, or in an EEA state that provides administrative assistance in tax matters. KMU-innovativ funds joint projects in which universities and research institutes can receive up to 100% of their costs. Under the German Eurostars rules, universities and institutes are funded only when a German SME carries a substantial share of the R&D work.

Not through us: our programmes fund charging technology, not charging rollout. Buying and installing standard charging points is not R&D, so the Research Allowance and the R&D grants on this page do not pay for it, and BeFunded does not handle charging infrastructure subsidies. What can qualify is developing charger hardware, power electronics or vehicle-to-grid communication under technical uncertainty, and investment in manufacturing charging components where GRW or KfW innovation loans fit.

For the Research Allowance our fee is purely success-based: 10% of the funding up to €500k per year and 5% above that, due only after payout. For all other programmes the fee is a fixed share plus a success component, both agreed in advance. The first eligibility check is free and comes with no obligation.