Electric vehicle funding, handled.
EV development is battery, powertrain, power electronics, thermal and software engineering, deep and capital-heavy R&D. We secure the non-dilutive funding that de-risks new cells, drives and systems.
Deep, capital-heavy R&D, strong funding fit
EV R&D spans cells and packs, electric drives, power electronics, thermal systems and vehicle software, all of it eligible. Non-dilutive funding covers the engineering and prototyping that carries the cost and the risk.
Why R&D funding fits EV
Four reasons EV and electric-vehicle companies are well positioned for German R&D funding.
Long prototype-to-validation cycles
Cells, drives and systems run through years of design, testing and validation before they are proven. That is exactly the window the Research Allowance is built to support.
Test benches and rigs count too
Since 2024, depreciation on battery cyclers, dynamometers, climate chambers and prototyping equipment used directly in an R&D project can be included in the eligible base, which matters in a capital-heavy field.
Engineer-heavy teams
Funding is built around R&D wage costs, and EV teams are full of the electrochemists, power-electronics, thermal and embedded engineers those costs cover.
Strong mobility pull
The Horizon Europe climate, energy and mobility cluster (Cluster 5), the EIC and the European battery push actively fund EV innovation, giving teams a route to larger grants on top of the national instruments.
What EV activities qualify
Four categories of EV R&D that consistently qualify. The common thread is technical uncertainty.
Battery cells and packs
- New cell chemistries, electrode or electrolyte development
- Pack design for energy density, safety or thermal behaviour
- Cell-to-pack and module engineering under new constraints
Battery management and power electronics
- BMS algorithms for state estimation and balancing
- Inverter and converter topologies and control
- Fast-charging methods under thermal and degradation limits
Electric drives and thermal
- Motor design and control for efficiency or power density
- Thermal-management systems for battery and drive
- Integration of drive, battery and thermal under real load
Vehicle software and integration
- Energy and range-optimization algorithms
- Embedded control developed from the ground up
- Simulation and digital-twin methods validated against test data
The line that decides a claim
The line that decides a claim is technical uncertainty. A quick orientation for EV:
Usually qualifies
- New cells, packs, drives or BMS tested under real load
- Fast-charging or thermal methods at the edge of what is known
- Vehicle software validated against test-bench data
Usually does not
- Validation to a fixed, known specification
- Type approval and homologation paperwork on its own
- Production ramp-up, line tuning and assembly
How much EV companies typically receive
Indicative ranges based on R&D team size and intensity. Actual figures depend on eligible costs and the funder's decision.
Mostly the Research Allowance on a core engineering team.
The Research Allowance stacked with a ZIM grant on a defined development project.
Toward the Research Allowance ceiling, plus stacked ZIM and Horizon Europe mobility funding.
* Indicative figures. The actual amount depends on company size, eligible costs and the programs you qualify for.
The kind of EV work that qualifies
If it carries genuine technical risk and novelty, it usually counts. A few examples:
Cells, chemistries and packs that push energy, safety or thermal limits.
Inverters, converters and battery-management with technical novelty.
Motors, control and thermal systems under real load.
Range, energy and embedded control with genuine uncertainty.
Best-fit funding for EV
We usually combine two or three of these for the largest total.
Research Allowance
25-35% of R&D costs back as cash, retroactive to 2022.
Explore program →Grant + equityEIC Accelerator
EUR 2.5M grant + up to EUR 10M equity for mobility deep tech.
Explore program →GrantEurostars
~50%, up to EUR 500k per partner for international R&D.
Explore program →GrantHorizon Europe
up to 100% for collaborative mobility R&I consortia.
Explore program →EV funding, answered
The work that resolves genuine technical uncertainty through systematic testing can qualify. Routine validation to a known spec does not, but development and testing under real uncertainty often does. We help you separate the two.
Yes. The Research Allowance is paid out even with no profit, which suits the long pre-production period typical in EV development.
Since 2024, depreciation on cyclers, dynamometers, chambers and other equipment used exclusively and directly in an R&D project can be included in the eligible base. We assess which of your equipment qualifies.
Yes. Contract research is eligible at 70% of the cost, so working with a university or institute does not exclude you, it adds to the eligible base.
The Research Allowance and ZIM cover the national base, while Horizon Europe (Cluster 5) and the EIC fund larger, more ambitious programmes. We design the stack so they reinforce each other.
Ask us anything
Tell us about your project and we'll assess your case by hand. No prep, no obligation. Prefer to talk?